The Wind Serpent
by Vixune
Summary: Aurelia Ventus was a brilliant alchemist and battle mage who lived for no one but herself. However, her life takes a drastic turn when her wanderlust takes her to Skyrim, where she discovers that even she, the wind personified, can be bound by fate and love.
1. Chapter 1

Curtis and Marcella Ventus's second child was born on the 20th of Sun's Dawn, 4E 176. The Great War had just ended, the world was hurting and in need of graceful, loving people, so they were happy to welcome a child born under the Lover into the world. Except she wasn't born under the Lover. While Sun's Dawn is the Lover's month, the Serpent was seen in the sky on the night of the child's birth. The hopeful parents named their child Aurelia, after the Hero of Kvatch from whom she was directly descended and shared the birthsign.

It was always believed that Serpents were the most blessed as well as the most cursed. This led Curtis and Marcella to believe that their daughter would go on to do great things. And it was apparent from an early age that Aurelia was bursting with potential. At age four, she could read better than her brother, who was three years older than her. At age eight, she could beat both of her parents at a game of chess. At age twelve, she had discovered a new way to augment 'weakness to magic' poisons. The girl was a genius. This would have thrilled her parents if she wasn't also restless, unpredictable and downright reckless.

As soon as she learned how to walk, she rarely kept still. They had to build new shelves simply to keep everything out of her reach. Most toddlers were content to simply stare vacantly at nothing, but Aurelia's mind needed constant stimulation, or she would throw tantrums out of boredom. Fortunately, because of her intelligence, they were able to begin her lessons in reading and arithmetic early. And as soon as she learned to read, she read everything she could get her hands on. Curtis and Marcella had made a modest living as book merchants, and they were grateful that they were, for books were one of the few things that kept her sitting still, and there were few subjects that didn't interest her.

Although many subjects interested her, alchemy was her first real love. By the time she was nine, she had read many books on the subject and was eager to try it out herself. Her parents thought it would be a harmless enough activity for her to try, so they bought her an alchemy station and a few ingredients in hopes that it would sate her seemingly insatiable desire to learn. However, instead of sating her appetite, encouraging it only seemed to whet it further. She would search every nook and cranny of the Imperial City for ingredients. For the most part, Curtis and Marcella didn't mind except for the days that she would come home sick from tasting new ingredients, or bruised and bloody from being mauled by the skeevers she would test her potions on.

While she would occasionally play with the other children living in the Imperial City, she was under no delusion that any of them were her friends. In fact, many of them bullied her. Most of the time she didn't mind, possibly because she felt she deserved it. The other children bored her, as they were far less intelligent than she was, and she wasn't afraid to tell them so. She only played with them because her parents would get on her tail if she didn't. They insisted she behave like a normal child, even though it was clear to all that she wasn't. In fact, she was so odd that normal attempts at bullying didn't work on her. One child dropped a spider into her hair in an attempt to frighten her, only for her to pick it up and ask the child if she knew what its alchemical properties were.

Occasionally, her older brother Atticus would stand up for her, if he was feeling generous. Other days, he would join in and bully her along with the others. Aurelia couldn't help but notice that the days he joined in were usually the days that Atticus was having trouble with his lessons and their parents made her help him. Whatever. It's not like his bullying or anyone else's actually hurt her. They were usually just words, and words from such feeble minds meant nothing to her.

But even more frightening than her nonchalance was her vengeance, for she did have a problem with bullying when it was more than just words. One boy in particular, Claudio, who was three years older and much bigger than her, had taken to stealing her sweet rolls whenever he saw her with one. She told her parents and they told her that she should resolve the issue herself, because it would be a good chance to improve her negotiation skills. That's what they told her anyway. Aurelia suspected that the real reason was because the boy was the son of an important business associate of theirs and they didn't want to cause trouble. However, stealing her sweet rolls was a minor nuisance compared to one particular incident. She had been carrying a book through the park, and Claudio thought it would be funny to wrench it from her hands and ruin it by throwing it into a pile of mud. This book was one that her parents were intending to sell, and they punished her harshly. She was eleven at this time and was growing increasingly confident in her alchemy skills. So one day she decided to buy her sweet roll and made sure to walk a path that she knew he frequented. As predicted, he devoured it as soon as he got his hands on it. While he was still licking his fingers, he began to retch, and he continued to retch as he ran home. Her parents were not happy when they found out.

"You poisoned Claudio Pandolfo?" Curtis growled at her when she entered the house that night.

"Relax, it's not deadly. Just a little something to upset the stomach, I'm sure he's stopped retching by now." Aurelia said nonchalantly as she set her bag of alchemy ingredients down by the table "What's for dinner?"

"I'm debating whether or not I should even let you have dinner after what you pulled. Claudio's parents are not happy." Marcella said, her tone pointed as she cut up some carrots.

"You told me to take care of it myself, and I did. I'm fairly certain he won't be trying to steal my sweet rolls anymore." Aurelia said, her tone still uncaring.

"We didn't tell you to poison him!" Curtis yelled.

"Technically, I didn't poison him, he poisoned himself. If he had learned to keep his hands to himself, like he should have been doing this whole time, there wouldn't be any problem here." Her nonchalance was turning into annoyance.

"Look, Aurelia, we understand that he was bothering you, but we must all try to get along." Marcella said, trying to keep her voice calm.

"I was getting along just fine. Claudio was the one who decided to harass me. If you want to grovel in submission to the Pandolfos, that's your business, but leave me out of it!" Aurelia snapped, her anger becoming unrestrained.

Curtis also could not restrain his anger "Aurelia, go to your room! You will go to bed hungry tonight!"

"I'm not even hungry anyway!" Aurelia shouted as she stormed off to her room.

That was a lie, she was very hungry, but she was too proud to admit it. It wasn't her fault her parents were so pathetic. Living in the merchant's district of the Imperial City, most people she knew were merchants and she thought they were all pathetic. She had seen how they became slaves to the pursuit of money and power. She didn't know whether or not her parents had ever entertained the thought of her taking over the family business, but surely they knew by now that it would never happen. She hated business and politics, for in these realms it seemed intelligence and capability meant nothing, only who you knew and how much money you had, and to Oblivion with justice and dignity. If there was any justice, Claudio would be the one in trouble right now, not her. Or maybe Claudio's parents just cared about him more than her parents cared about her.

While Aurelia and her parents didn't hate each other, their inability to understand each other certainly put a strain on their relationship. They loved and looked out for each other, like any dutiful family member would, but Aurelia never felt close to them, and she knew it was the same for them. In fact, she knew that it was more than simply not being close, she wasn't really wanted. She had always suspected it, but she knew for sure one particular day when she was thirteen. She had decided not to go out to collect ingredients that day, but instead, opted to stay home and read a book on magical theory that her parents came across. She wanted to finish it before her parents found a buyer. She decided to leave her room to get something to eat, and just as she was about to start descending the stairs, she heard her father's voice.

"Marcella, dear, have you gone to the Arcane University yet to find a buyer for that rare book on magical theory?"

"Not yet, we actually had quite a few customers, so I didn't have the time to leave the store. Besides, Aurelia has it."

"Ah yes, where is Aurelia?"

"She usually goes out to collect ingredients around this time, doesn't she?"

"Ah yes, no wonder it's so quiet around here."

Marcella laughed "Yes, you know I love our daughter, but the strange noises that are always coming from her alchemy station and her room can make it difficult to relax. I'm surprised she hasn't burned the house down yet."

"That's right, she's been messing around with magic now. Can't we send her to study at the Arcane University?"

"They're certainly interested in her, she really dazzled them last year when she presented them a new way to augment a certain type of poison. But they were hesitant to accept someone so young."

"That's a shame, I'm sure she'd love it there, where she could be paid to cause trouble."

Marcella laughed "I'm sure she will when she comes of age, for now we can only dream of peace and quiet."

"Although if she's too much of a problem, they may kick her out. She is a bit of a nuisance."

"Yes, but we can only hope."

Aurelia slowly backed away from the foot of the stairs and returned to her room. She'd get something to eat later. She tried to return to her book, but she was only able to stare blankly at the pages for a few moments. Then slowly, a smile spread across her face and she began to laugh, but not too loudly, or else her parents would hear. Her parents did not want her around, and she didn't want to be around. This was perfect.

No longer able to focus on the book she was reading, she scanned her own personal bookshelf. As soon as she came of age, she would get out of the Imperial City and never look back, but where would she go? The sandy ruins of Elseweyre? The massive forests of Valenwood? Morrowind, where netches roamed the desolate land and the mushrooms were as tall as trees? She would just have to see them all, but for now, she picked up a book on Cyrodiil's geography, for it made the most sense to see what beauty her own country had to offer before going anywhere else.

But if she was going to travel Tamriel, she had to learn to fight. So she spent much of her teen years training in both magic and blade combat. She admired many mages in her history books, such as Galerion and Shalidor, but she also admired warriors, like Ysgramor. So she decided to pursue both paths and call herself a battle-mage. Those who knew her were surprised when she started learning blades and archery, they thought she was going to strictly study magic. Well, that just showed how well they actually knew her. Studying both magic and blades was the most practical thing to do, as it was most prudent to have many tools at one's disposal, if one was to survive this harsh life.

She would also need coin if she was going to travel. Although this was an easy task for her. Her parents often paid her to crunch numbers for them, since she could do it far more quickly than they could. Not only that, but she could easily make money selling her potions. Of course coin was necessary for traveling expenses, but more importantly, she needed to buy a horse. In addition to a lot of time learning combat skills and making coin, she also spent a lot of time at the stables, working in exchange for riding lessons. When Aurelia was sixteen, there was a new dapple-grey filly at the stables. She gave Aurelia an affectionate nibble on her hand when she approached her for the first time. Aurelia did not believe in love at first sight until that moment. The day that she had finally saved up enough money to buy her was one of the happiest in her life. She named the horse Fauna. All she needed now was an excuse to leave, and the perfect opportunity came up one night when she was home alone having dinner with her mother.

"Good news, I got a letter from your father today, he found a buyer for the entire collection of Stella Pandolfo's works in Cheydinhal, and they're willing to pay quite a lot for it."

"That's great, mom." Aurelia had learned by now to at least pretend she was interested in the family business.

"The only problem is, it's a big collection and a courier would ask a lot of money to send it over."

Aurelia dropped her fork "I'll deliver it to Cheydinhal for free!"

"I don't think so. It's dangerous out there."

"I'm dangerous too."

"As skilled as you are, you're only seventeen."

"Exactly, I'm seventeen and I've never left the Imperial City. We all have to start somewhere right? And Cheydinhal isn't that far away. Besides, this is a win-win situation. I get to see more of Cyrodiil and you get to save money" _and have me out of the house for awhile_ she thought to herself.

"Well, I suppose you're right. But be careful, and don't stray from the main road."

"Of course! Thank you so much! You won't regret it!"

The day she left the Imperial City gates for the first time was a memory that would make her smile until her last day on Nirn. The wind was strong that day, but rather than howling aggressively, it seemed to be calling her excitedly like an old friend and beckoning her to follow it. As she gazed at the untamed beauty of Nirn before her, how could she not heed the wind's call? So she took off her shoes and ran as Fauna trotted along behind her. The chilled dew-covered grass that kissed her feet as she ran almost felt as good as the wind that was coursing through her, invigorating her body, mind, and soul.

Aurelia never realized how deeply she loved nature until this day. Out here, there were no business or politics, only life and freedom. She didn't know how long she ran, but when the time felt right, she collapsed on the ground and laughed until she cried. She had never felt a joy so deep that it felt as if her very soul was laughing. Still smiling, she got up, got on Fauna's back and began her first journey.

But Cheydinhal was not as far away as she had hoped, and she arrived in just over a week. She housed Fauna at the local stables and found her father having dinner at the local inn.

"Aurelia, good to see you made it in one piece. I was getting worried, it shouldn't have taken you this long to get here with your horse."

"Yeah, well, I may have gotten lost a few times." Aurelia scratched the back of her neck guiltily as she sat down across from him.

"How did you get lost? The main road is pretty straightforward."

"I'm sure it is."

Curtis sighed heavily "You didn't stick to the main road did you?"

"Well, I've never seen this part of the country before, I just wanted to explore it, it's so beautiful and I've read that it's a good place to find certain ingredients…"

"Honestly, girl, you're going to get yourself killed one day." He huffed another heavy sigh "But your mother and I will discuss this later. Do you have the shipment?"

"Right here." She dropped the bag on the table, grateful to change the subject.

Curtis began to rifle through them. "Excellent, excellent, good work. So this is your first time leaving the Imperial City, isn't it? How do you like Cheydinhal?"

"It's lovely. I see why you enjoy coming here."

Curtis laughed "I enjoy coming here because there's quite a bit of coin to be made here."

Aurelia sighed. Typical of her father, to come to such a pretty city and not even appreciate it. "We're rather close to the Morrowind border, aren't we?"

"Yes, that's why you see a lot of Dunmer here."

"Have you ever been to Morrowind?"

"No, don't really have any need to. I don't have any business associates there."

"You've never wanted to go just to see it?"

"Not really."

"Well, I think I'd like to."

Curtis furrowed his brow at her "Right now?"

"Well, obviously not right this minute, but since I'm here in Cheydinhal, I figure, why not?"

"I'll tell you why not. You're only seventeen, you're still just a girl."

"I bet I could beat Atticus in a fight."

"Your brother is a legionnaire."

"And I'm a battle-mage."

"You're not going, and that's the end of it. My room is up the stairs, second from the left. We'll stay tonight and we'll leave in the morning. Now, my client is anxious to get his goods, I'll be back shortly. Here's a few Septims, get yourself something to eat." He set a few coins on the table and then got up and left before she could argue.

As she watched her father go out the door, it occurred to her that he couldn't really stop her. She could feed herself, shelter herself, defend herself, and make her own coin. She didn't need them, and if she didn't need them, they had no power over her. So she went up to her father's room, put a note on the dresser, got Fauna and left for Morrowind.

Morrowind was unlike any place she had ever visited. Well, because she had never been anywhere else besides the Imperial City and more recently Cheydinhal, but still, she was impressed. The landscape was so strange and desolate looking, and yet she was eager to get lost in it. Her small adventure to Cheydinhal had turned into a large one as she wandered further and further north. And yet the further north she went, the more incessant the gnawing guilt became. Even if she could take care of herself, it was selfish of her to run off like that. Her parents were probably worried. She'd just have to think of a way to make it up to them. Two months after she left Cheydinhal, she walked through the doors of her parent's house.

"Aurelia! What in Oblivion were you thinking, running off to a foreign country alone like that? Are you alright? Curtis! Aurelia's home!" Marcella couldn't seem to make up her mind as to whether or not she should be relieved or livid as she grasped her daughter's shoulders. "Well, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"You had no need to be worried, I was fine. I had a lot of fun, too. Well, there was that incident in which I was almost sacrificed to Vaermina by some of her followers…"

"What?!" Curtis had just appeared from the other room.

"Relax, I'm obviously still here, right? And look, I even got this from them, after I killed them all, of course." She pulled a large tome out of her bag.

"Is… Is that a copy of the Dreamstride?" Curtis said as he closed the distance between them.

"You can have it if you want. I've already read it and taken notes. In fact, I came across lots of rare books and items." She started gingerly taking everything out of her bag. Not only were there books, but jewelry, ancient relics and weapons. All of which looked valuable. "Look, I'm sorry I lied to you, but you can have all this stuff if it helps make up for it."

"By the Eight! Look at all this! How old do you think this is, Curtis?"

"I'm pretty sure this item dates back to the first era, the rest, I have no idea."

When they were done being awestruck by the treasures Aurelia brought home, Marcella slowly turned to her daughter "So, you really took on a cult of Vaermina by yourself?"

"Technically Fauna helped me, kicked a few of them in the face." She said with a chuckle, feeling relieved that it was sounding like her parents were forgiving her.

"That's impressive. Not many adults could do that, much less a teenage girl. I suppose you are getting to an age where you should be making your own decisions." Curtis said.

Aurelia lit up. She gave each of her parents a hug before going to bed.

From that day forward, Aurelia barely spent any time at her parents' home. When she wasn't holed up in her quarters doing research at the Arcane University, she was traveling Tamriel. Wherever she went, she sent gifts to her parents, and in exchange, she would call upon them if she needed gold or books. Although she rarely needed gold. Between her potion-making and whatever odd jobs she found to do while traveling, she never seemed to have much financial problems. This was her life for many years until late summer of 4E 201. She had just gotten back from a trip to Black Marsh when she decided to pay her parents a visit.

"Aurelia! Come in, have you heard the news?" Marcella said as soon as she opened the door.

"What news?" Aurelia said as she stepped into the house.

"Skyrim is embroiled in a civil war! One of their jarls, a man by the name of Ulfric Stormcloak has killed the High King of Skyrim and is leading a rebellion to secede from the Empire!" Curtis said gravely from his seat at the table.

"Huh, that is indeed grave news. I hope they settle it quickly."

"The emperor, needless to say, is not happy, they've sent in the Legion to take care of it." Marcella said, her tone taking a heavy shift "Atticus left a few weeks ago."

"Hm, divines protect him." She wasn't entirely sure why the Legion should get involved. If Skyrim wanted to secede from the empire, wasn't that their business? But she knew to keep her mouth shut, as politics were not her strong suit.

"Actually, Aurelia, why don't you join the Legion as well and help bring this war to a swift end?" Curtis said slowly and cautiously.

Aurelia laughed "You don't actually think I could end a war, do you?"

"Why not? You've done all sorts of amazing things on your travels." Curtis said.

"I've taken on a few bandits, thieves, cultists, and the like, but ending a war is something completely different. Besides, you know how I feel about being a soldier."

"But you wouldn't have to be a soldier. I bet with your brains, you'd rise up to the rank of general in no time." Marcella said.

"I'm sure they already have a general dealing with the conflict."

"Please, Aurelia, I don't want to lose our son to this pointless conflict." Marcella said.

 _But you have no problem risking your daughter?_ But she didn't say this out loud, she knew that they'd simply say that she'd been in so many dangerous situations that they had no reason to worry about her. Or something like that. "The conflict is pointless, is it? Why exactly is this Stormcloak and his followers rebelling?"

"Something about their Nord way of life being at risk? I'm not even certain of the details, but I know that the Nords were particularly upset about the conditions of the White-Gold Concordat. Although it is entirely possible that this Stormcloak fellow is simply seeking the throne for himself." Curtis said.

"Yeah, people tend to do things like that." Aurelia said.

"So will you go to Skyrim?" Marcella said.

"I think I've made it quite clear that I won't." Aurelia said.

"So you're just going to let your brother get killed?" Marcella said, growing increasingly desperate.

"Don't you dare try to guilt trip me into this. First of all, there is no guarantee that my intervention will save his life. Second, this is what Atticus signed up for. He made the decision to join the Legion, he knew he may have to go to war because of it." She knew her parents were just desperate and terrified of losing their son, their normal child. But still, this level of irrationality was grating on her nerves.

Her parents were silent for a moment, until Curtis said "Will you at least think about it before you head off to gods know where?"

"Fine, but if you'll excuse me, it's been a long journey, I'm going to retire to my room for the night."

And Aurelia did think about it, but she didn't think about joining the Legion, she thought about going to Skyrim. She had never been there before, but she had read about it. She read that it was cold, but it looked beautiful in pictures, with the snow-covered mountains and evergreen trees scattered among golden grasses. She also knew there were Dwemer ruins dotting the landscape, and even a Dwemer museum in one of the major cities. There were crypts filled with frightening creatures called draugr, a subject that had always fascinated her. She had even heard that Skyrim had a pretty good mage's college with a huge library. Yeah, maybe a trip to Skyrim would be a good idea. The next morning, she told her parents her plans.

"I've been thinking about what you said, and I think you're right. Going to Skyrim would be a good idea. I think I can do a lot of good there." Aurelia said.

"Really?" Curtis said, honestly surprised that they had convinced her "Well, alright then, stay safe. When are you leaving?"

"I'm going to spend a few hours preparing, and then I'll leave today. I promise I'll write you as often as I can."

Leaving for a trip on such short notice wasn't unusual for Aurelia, and she used this to her advantage. Her parents may not have been at her level of intelligence, but they weren't stupid. They would quickly figure out that she had not actually intended to join the Legion and would try to further persuade her to. Not that she would have listened, but she would rather not deal with it if she didn't have to.

She was ready to leave by a little after noon.

"Ok, Aurelia. Stay safe, look after your brother if you come across him, and for the love of the Eight, stay on the road! I don't care what alchemy ingredients you think are nearby!" Marcella said.

"Oh Mother, don't worry, I do have some self-control. I promise you, nothing will keep me from exploring Skyrim." She gave each of them a hug and a kiss and hurried out of sight to the stables.

"Curtis, dear, what did she say just before she left? 'Nothing will keep me from exploring Skyrim'?" Marcella said.

"I believe so, what of it?" Curtis said.

"Hm, that's what I thought." Marcella said bitterly.

Curtis was silent for a moment as the realization of what his wife was implying settled in. "She's not going to join the Legion to help end the civil war, is she?"

"I doubt it." Marcella said.

Curtis sighed heavily "Damn it all to Oblivion."


	2. Chapter 2

Aurelia awoke to the sound of wagon wheels turning and horses whinnying. She must be on a carriage. She blinked her heavy eyelids awake and looked around groggily. By the Divines, her head hurt. Three men were on the carriage with her, all Nords by the look of them, none of whom she recognized. Everyone was bound, including herself, the man sitting next to her was also gagged.

"What in Oblivion?" her voice was still scratchy from waking up.

"Hey you. You're finally awake." A blond Nord in front of her said "You were trying to cross the border, walked right into that Imperial ambush."

"Cross the border? So I made it to Skyrim, it would seem." Her memory was slowly starting to come back. She knew she was close to the border between Skyrim and Cyrodiil border when she came across that skirmish, but she hadn't realized she had crossed it. She let out a sigh. If she had stuck to the trail like her mother told her to, she probably wouldn't be in this mess.

"Damn you, Stormcloaks! Skyrim was just fine until you came along! The Empire was nice and lazy. If they hadn't been looking for you, I could have stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell." The man next to the blond said.

"Horse? Oh gods! Where is my horse? Where is Fauna?" she cried out frantically. The last thing she remembered when she happened upon the skirmish was being chased down by three legionnaires on horses. Startled, she had tried to run from them and kicked Fauna in the other direction, but the legionnaires caught up to her, and knocked her off Fauna. She must have been kicked pretty hard in the head by one of the horses when she fell off, because the next thing she knew, she woke up on this wagon with her head throbbing.

"Shut up back there!" The driver said.

"I will not shut up! I am in binds and my horse is missing, I demand an explanation!"

"I said _shut up_ back there!" The driver snarled.

Aurelia sat back down indignantly. She obviously wasn't going to get anywhere with this fool. She'd have to wait until she could speak with someone in charge.

"What's wrong with him, huh?" The horse thief said to the gagged man next to me.

"Watch your tongue! You're speaking to Ulfric Strormcloak, the true High King!"

"Ulfric? The Jarl of Windhelm? You're the leader of the rebellion. But if they've captured you… Oh Gods! Where are they taking us?"

"I don't know where we're going, but Sovngarde awaits."

"No, this can't be happening, this isn't happening!"

So, this was Ulfric Stormcloak sitting next to her? If they had captured him, this would mean the end of the war. Good, that would mean the legion could withdraw their troops, her brother could go home, and she could explore Skyrim without any worries. That is, if she could get out of her current predicament.

"Hey, what village are you from, horse thief?"

"What do you care?"

"A Nord's last thoughts should be of home."

"Rorikstead. I'm from Rorikstead."

The carriage started to pull into a town. She saw a man in ornate-looking Imperial armor sitting on a horse. Before she could wonder if it was the general, a guard spoke to him.

"General Tullius, sir, the headsman is waiting."

"Good, let's get this over with."

Aurelia stood up "General Tullius? There's been a mistake, I'm not a Stormcloak! If I could just have a moment to speak with you!"

"Sit down, you damned fool!" the driver called out.

General Tullius regarded her pitifully, but said nothing. He didn't believe her, but why?

"General Tullius doesn't care about your life, lass." The blond said. "He just wants to end this war as fast as he can."

Aurelia sat back down. She didn't doubt the blond man's words. It wouldn't be the first time someone had disregarded another's life for the sake of convenience. Still, there had to be a way out of this. Magicka flared up in her hands, but nothing happened. They had enchanted the binds to stop the flow of magicka. Clever. Looked like it would be more difficult than she thought to escape, assuming she lost her chance to talk her way out. They continued through the town as the blond reminisced about the town. Helgen, apparently it was called, and the horse thief prayed frantically to the divines. Aurelia's heart dropped to her stomach when they came to a stop.

"Why are we stopping?" The horse thief said nervously.

"Why do you think? End of the line." The blond said calmly but gravely.

"Wait! We're not rebels!" the horse thief cried out desperately.

"Face your death with some courage, thief."

"You have to tell them! We weren't with you! This is a mistake!"

"Step toward the block when we call your name, one at a time!" an Imperial officer called out as Aurelia got off the wagon.

The captives walked one by one as a young Nord soldier called out their names. "Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm. Ralof of Riverwood. Lokir of Rorikstead."

"No! I'm not a rebel! You can't do this!" Lokir, the horse thief, cried out before making a run for it.

"Halt!" the Imperial captain's voice was surprised, but harsh.

"You're not gonna kill me!"

"Archers!"

Lokir hadn't made it more than twenty paces before he was shot down. Aurelia gulped. Clearly running wasn't going to be an option for her.

"Anyone else feel like running?"

"Wait, you there, step forward." The young soldier was staring directly at her. "Who are you?"

"My name is Aurelia Ventus and I am neither a Stormcloak nor a thief. I have never even been to Skyrim until now."

"Hadvar, she was caught trying to cross the border illegally." The carriage driver said.

"I got lost! Has that never happened before?"

"It is suspicious that you happened to show up right at a Stormcloak camp."

"Do I look like a Nord to you? What business does an Imperial have joining the rebel faction of the civil war of a country that she has never even been to?" Aurelia's voice rose with her desperation. Indeed, she looked nothing like a Nord. Although average sized for an Imperial woman, she felt quite petite next to all these Nord men and her skin was darker than anyone else's there. Her deep brown curls, which she usually kept up in an intricate bun and braided loops, were flowing in a mess down to her waist. She had a slim face, a long, slender nose and narrow, piercing eyes that were some unnamed color between green and grey. One would look at her and not think she was anything but Imperial.

"Plenty of Imperials call Skyrim their home. All we have is your word that you've never been to Skyrim before." The driver said.

"She's not on the list though." Hadvar said.

"Forget the list. I agree with him." The captain said, indicating the driver "She can't be trusted. She goes to the block."

"You… You can't be serious." Aurelia said.

"I'm sorry, we'll be sure to have your remains sent back to Cyrodiil." Hadvar said in a defeated voice.

"Wait! Atticus Ventus! Do you know him? He's my brother! He can vouch for me!"

"I'm afraid not, the legion has a lot of soldiers. I'm sorry." Hadvar said.

"What happened to my horse? Can you at least tell me she's ok? Please, that horse is my most cherished friend." Aurelia said, beginning to tear up at the thought of her beloved Fauna being lost and afraid, or even dead.

"Enough wasting time and get over to the block!" the captain exclaimed, her already thin patience unraveling even further.

Aurelia's pride compelled her scream profanities at the captain, but she reluctantly did as she was told and went to stand with the other prisoners. It was clear that she wasn't going to talk her way out of this. She had to figure something else out.

"Ulfric Stormcloak, some people here in Helgen call you a hero. But a hero doesn't use a power like the voice to murder his high king and usurp his throne." Ulfric mumbled something incoherent under his gag as General Tullius addressed him "You started this war and plunged Skyrim into chaos. The empire is going to put you down and restore the peace."

This, among other reasons, was why she hated politics. It was easier for them to just kill an innocent woman and bury the incident as fast as possible than it was to give her a proper investigation. All in the name of "restoring the peace." She would have laughed at the irony if it wasn't weighing so painfully over her.

Her thoughts were interrupted by an unrecognizable roar in the distance.

"What was that?" an imperial soldier said.

"It's nothing, carry on." General Tullius replied.

She was vaguely aware as one Stormcloak soldier was being beheaded, but her thoughts were elsewhere. She had gotten herself into countless bad situations in her life, and she always figured a way out, surely she could figure a way out of this one.

"As fearless in death as he was in life." She heard Ralof say next to her.

"Next, the Imperial!" the captain called out.

Aurelia snapped back to attention as she was fairly certain that she was the only Imperial prisoner there. She thought she'd have more time to think. She was just about to start walking with shaky steps when she heard that roar again.

"There it is again, did you hear it?" Hadvar said.

"I said next prisoner!"

She walked slowly towards the block, her mind now spiraling into a panic. She couldn't run, she couldn't fight, and she couldn't persuade. There had to be something, anything. Her breathing was shaky and her heart was hammering against her chest. As she knelt down and placed her head on the block and faced the executioner, for the first time in her life, she felt her mind go completely blank. This was it. She was going to die. She had no solution to this problem. Just as she began to resign herself to her fate and wonder which afterlife she'd be taken to, she saw a black creature flying in the sky behind the executioner, and she wasn't the only one who saw it.

"What in Oblivion is that?"

"Sentries, what do you see?"

Just as the headsman was about to drop the axe on her neck, the creature landed on the building behind him and roared. The ground shook and the headsman keeled over.

"Dragon!"

Aurelia didn't bother to comprehend what she had just seen. All she knew was that here was a chance to escape and she wasn't going to pass it up. As soon as she recovered she got on her feet and ran. She didn't know where she was expecting to go, but she ran into Ralof.

"Come on, the guards won't give us another chance! This way!" He led her into a tower. Ulfric and a few other Stormcloaks were there too. "Jarl Ulfric, what is that thing? Could the legends be true?"

"Legends don't burn down buildings."

They heard a roar from outside that was deafening, even from inside the tower.

"Come on, we need to move, now!" Ralof said as he herded her up the stairs. Aurelia wondered how he got his bindings off and why he couldn't take two seconds to take hers off as well, but before she could say anything, the wall just before her shattered and a breath of fire rained down before her. When it departed, Ralof basically pushed her out of the building. Still bound, she jumped onto the floor of the next building. She started running, again, she didn't know where. This time, she ended up running into Hadvar.

"Still alive, prisoner? Stay with me if you want to keep it that way!" Hadvar shouted to her, the adrenaline in his body clear in his voice.

"Why don't you unbind me?" Aurelia called out over the pandemonium.

"Now is not the best time!" Hadvar said as he herded other people to safety.

"Now is the perfect time! I can do magic, I can help!" It would also be harder to arrest her if that's what he was planning on doing once they escaped, but she kept that thought to herself.

"Oh for the love of…" Hadvar cut her binds off with a swift flick of his sword "Happy now?"

"Quite." She ran ahead of him and cast a frost spell, the moisture dousing the flames that stood in their path "Come on."

After the two of them dodged building debris and dragon fire, they ran into Ralof again.

"Ralof! You damned traitor! Out of my way!" Hadvar shouted.

"We're escaping, Hadvar, and you aren't going to stop us!"

And the two men diverged. Aurelia had to take a serious moment to think and consider who she wanted to follow. She definitely trusted Ralof more at this point, as Hadvar was willing to send her to her death mere minutes ago. But in the long run, it was better to go with Hadvar. For her family's sake, she figured it would be best to stay on the Imperial's good side, even if she really didn't care for them right now. But more importantly, she had a better chance of finding out what happened to Fauna. She ran into Helgen keep with Hadvar.

"Are you alright? Do you need to be healed?" Aurelia said.

"A little singed, but I'll be fine, but you should put some armor on."

Not only did she find armor as she rummaged through the chest, but a sword. It was just a simple iron sword, but it would suffice for the time being. Hadvar must not be planning on arresting her again if he was letting her arm herself, and even suggest that she give the sword a few swings. Still, she would not breathe a sigh of relief until she was out of this keep. She put on the armor and followed Hadvar deeper into the keep. It would seem that they were not alone.

"You hear that? Stormcloaks, maybe we can reason with them." Hadvar whispered to her.

"You just tried to cut their heads off, I don't think…"

But Hadvar was already advancing cautiously. Aurelia rolled her eyes and readied her blade in her right hand and a flame spell in the left. It felt wrong to kill those who had been her brothers and sisters in binds until a few minutes ago, but she had her own life to worry about in more ways than one. She hadn't a Septim to her name. She was certain her parents would be more than willing to send her some, provided the circumstances, but it would take some time for anything to arrive.

They eventually made it to the torture chambers after fighting off some more Stormcloaks. While Hadvar was busy arguing with the torturer, Aurelia was looking around. She found a few septims, a few weapons, and some mage's robes from some poor victim. While she could sell these off for a decent price, they weren't any good to her if she didn't have a bag to carry them in. That's when she saw the bag on the table next to a few Septims and a book called "The Book of the Dragonborn." It looked like it could only carry a few daggers, plus the robes she found, but it was better than nothing. But her jaw dropped when she actually looked inside. Instead of the bottom of the bag, she saw a black abyss. She had heard of bags like this, bags that were enchanted to carry things of all sizes as long as the holder could manage the weight. But these were incredibly rare. She didn't know if it belonged to anybody, but she didn't care. She took almost anything else she could find before Hadvar motioned for her to follow him. She stopped when she saw a skeleton in a cage.

"Aurelia, what in Oblivion are you doing?" Hadvar said as he watched her scrape at the bones.

"Just collecting some bone meal."

"There's a dragon attacking! Are you mad?"

"Probably, you aren't the first person who seemed to think so. Just give me one more second… Ok let's go."

Hadvar was beginning to see why a horse was this woman's best friend. And this was only the beginning of her scavenging. Further into the keep, they encountered some frostbite spiders. While he was still cleaning his sword of blood, she had disappeared to search the cave for egg sacs. After they had finally left the cave, they headed straight for Riverwood. Well, they tried to head straight for Riverwood, but since Aurelia insisted on grabbing every ingredient she could find, it took a little longer than anticipated.

"Look, Aurelia, I'm grateful for all the help, but if you insist on leaving the trail, I'm going to have to leave you behind!" Hadvar called after her as she crossed the river.

"But there's a nirnroot over there. I'll just be a moment." Aurelia crossed the river to retrieve the Nirnroot and Hadvar kept walking. She had to run to catch up to them. "Sorry about that, I promise I will try to stay on the trail… Oh hey, a blue mountain flower. What? I'm still on the trail."

Hadvar shook his head and kept walking.

"I'm sorry if I'm bothering you, but please understand that I have just lost all my belongings. I used to make my living as an alchemist, and I need anything I can to get my life back on track."

"I understand. But you know, I have an aunt and uncle in Riverwood, I'm sure they'd be willing to give you a few supplies once I tell them how you helped me escape."

"You really think so?"

"I do."

So for the sake of time and keeping Hadvar from being too annoyed, she only plucked the flowers she found near the trail. And yet he still rolled his eyes at her every time she did. Ungrateful bastard. Fauna was a much better traveling companion. She never complained. Speaking of Fauna…

"So, do you know what may have happened to my horse?" Aurelia said hesitantly, fearing the answer.

"Usually after we take prisoners, if they have a good horse, we take it back to our base in Solitude. Having a good supply of horses is always useful. I don't know if your horse is among them, but I would check there."

Aurelia smiled warmly at him "Thank you."

"While you're in Solitude, maybe you should join the Legion yourself, you are quite good in battle, we could use someone like you in our ranks."

Aurelia suppressed a laugh "After today, I'm not too keen on joining the Legion."

"I suppose I can't blame you for being angry after today's events. But it is a good cause."

This time she did laugh "Even before today's events, I'd rather spend a lifetime in Coldharbor than become a soldier."

"Those are some very strong feelings."

"Please don't misunderstand, it's not that I don't respect soldiers, but a soldier's job is to do whatever you're told, regardless of whether or not you think it's right. I just can't subject myself to that. For example, you didn't actually want to send me to my death today, did you?"

Hadvar's expression was unreadable. "You're right, I didn't."

"Besides, I'm a suspected Stormcloak sympathizer, I don't think the Legion would want me."

"As soon as I can get back to Solitude, I'll be sure to vouch for you."

"So you believe me when I say I'm not a Stormcloak sympathizer?"

"I do." Given her recent behavior, he had no doubt that her story about getting lost was true. "There's Riverwood, let's go."

/

The sun was noticeably dipping into the western sky when she left Riverwood. Hadvar told her that if she hurried, she should make it to Whiterun before nightfall. It was a little easier to hurry and not grab every ingredient she could see now that she was a bit heavier on coin, but old habits die hard and she couldn't help picking a few mountain flowers. It was also easier because she had a debt to repay. Not only had Hadvar's aunt and uncle, Sigrid and Alvor, given her some food and supplies, but Alvor also bought some of the weapons and armor she had taken from the keep. She owed them a debt, which she was to fulfill by traveling to Whiterun and informing the jarl about the dragon attack on Helgen.

Speaking of the dragon attack, now that she didn't have her life to worry about, she was free to marvel at what had just happened. She had just seen a creature that was believed to be extinct. Even more impressive, her life had been saved by it. That creature was a marvel to behold, it looked like an ancient statue that had been carved out of ebony. And those glowing red eyes had been so close to hers when she was in the tower. And the way it moved so freely in the sky, how she envied it. Although perhaps she shouldn't admire it too much. Even if this one had inadvertently saved her life, by all accounts, dragons were not nice creatures and their return couldn't be good.

It was evening when a large, walled city surrounded by farmland came into view. This had to be Whiterun. She was about to run towards it when she saw something large and pale roaming the fields. She came to an abrupt stop and grabbed her bow. Even in the dying light, she could see that it was a giant. Judging by the way it continued mindlessly crushing the crops, she was fairly certain it didn't see her. She drew her bow and took careful aim. She had a cheap bow and cheap arrows, but if her aim was true, she should be able to take it down before it reached her. Just as she released an arrow, she saw three warriors come charging into view. With the giant preoccupied with three different blades hacking at slashing at it, she only needed to fire a few more arrows before the giant fell. When it did, the warriors looked around for the person who had fired those arrows. Aurelia cautiously walked towards them.

The woman with red hair, heavy war paint and leather armor approached her "You handle yourself well. You might make for a decent shield-sister."

"Shield-sister? I hope you mean that figuratively, because I'm not very good with shields." Aurelia said.

The woman laughed "The shield isn't my strong suit either, I favor the bow. But it doesn't matter, we Companions are an order of warriors and have many diverse sets of skills. We are brothers and sisters in honor. And we show up to solve problems, if the coin is good enough. If you're interested in joining us, you should see Kodlak Whitemane."

"Oh wow, you're the Companions? I've heard of you. I'm quite the admirer of Ysgramor. I'm honored that you would invite me to join, but it sounds like joining would be quite the commitment, and I am just a traveler. I have no idea how long I will be staying in Skyrim."

"If you change your mind, you can find us in Jorrvaskr in Whiterun." she said before motioning for her other two companions to follow her.

"So you're not going to take the toes?" Aurelia said.

The three Companions exchanged confused looks before turning back to her.

"The toes?" the red-haired woman finally said.

"Yeah, they're actually potent alchemical ingredients, and they're pretty hard to come by, for obvious reasons. So you wouldn't mind if I took them?"

"I couldn't care less what you do with the corpse."

"Great, thanks! Have a lovely rest of your evening!" Aurelia said cheerily as she knelt down by the giant's feet.

Aurelia was about to get to work when she realized she had nothing to cut it with. She had sold her iron sword and instead opted to keep a mace by her side. The Companions were already making their way back to Whiterun, but they hadn't made it very far.

"Um, excuse me, sir, with the great sword? Would you mind helping me out?" Aurelia called out.

The man stopped and turned around "What do you need?"

He was rather imposing-looking, now that she got a good look at him. His already otherworldly silver eyes were intensified by the dark war paint he wore around them. Not only that, but he was a huge bear of a man, even by Nord standards. And he had a deep, rumbling voice.

"Um, if it's not too much trouble, would you mind cutting the toes off this giant for me? That great sword looks like it will work."

He nodded and lifted the great sword as if it was a twig and brought it down with such force that he only needed to swing once for each foot. It would seem that he had a strength that matched his appearance.

"Thank you. If you'd like, you can keep a few as payment for helping me out."

He chuckled slightly "Oh, I'm no alchemist."

"Even if you don't do alchemy yourself, you could sell them to an alchemist for some gold. Like I said, giant toes are hard to come by." She started tearing chunks of fabric from her tattered clothes so she could wrap the toes.

"I'm not really hurting for gold, you keep them. I'm not going to charge you for a few swings of my sword."

A man who wasn't obsessed with lining his pockets? She was beginning to like him. In spite of his imposing looks and great strength, he had a docile demeanor. Maybe he wouldn't mind indulging her curiousity. "Mind if I pick your brain a bit?"

"Um…"

"How long have you been with the Companions?" she said as she continued to work.

"Vilkas and I have been here since we were little whelps. Our father, Jergen, raised us here. Even Vignar couldn't remember Companions younger than us."

"Who are Vilkas and Vignar?"

"Vilkas is my twin brother. Vignar is the oldest member of the Companions."

Aurelia nodded "Ah, so you've basically been a Companion all your life. Fascinating. I bet you can tell me a lot. So what do the Companions actually do?"

"The Companions are my family. We fight so that others don't have to. We bring honor and glory to ourselves and each other."

"What does it mean to be a Companion? What kind of people do you accept as members?"

"I've never been a smart one. But the Companions welcome anyone with the heart of a warrior. When we step into battle, we fight for our own name, and the name of the Companions."

"So you're strictly warriors, huh?"

"You ask a lot of questions. I'm getting tired of standing around and talking all day."

Aurelia's face flushed crimson as her stomach roiled. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize I was bothering you. And even after you were kind enough to help me without asking anything in return. I'm so sorry, I won't bother you anymore. I was just finishing up, I'll be on my way." She got up and walked away as quickly as she spoke.

He immediately felt remorse when he saw the look on her face. He caught up with her easily "Not that asking a lot of questions is a bad thing, I'm just not very good at answering them. If you want to learn more about the Companions, you should probably talk to someone smarter."

Aurelia wasn't sure what to say to that. The polite thing would be to say that he was plenty smart, but she had only met him minutes ago and couldn't possibly know that. He didn't say it like he was baiting her anyway, so she ignored it. "Perhaps if I get the chance, but I don't plan on staying in Whiterun for very long. I have a message to deliver to the jarl, and then I have to find my horse. I lost her while crossing the border from Cyrodiil to Skyrim, and I won't be able to rest until I get her back. I've been told Solitude is my best bet."

"How did you lose your horse?"

Aurelia laughed humorlessly. "I don't even know where to begin, it's such a long story. I've had that horse since I was only seventeen, I don't know what I'll do without her." Her eyes started to cloud again "Sorry, I'm probably boring you again."

His guilt of his previous callousness intensified "Not at all, I hope you find your horse soon. If there's anything I can do to help, let me know. And you don't have to worry about boring me or anything, I like listening more than I like talking."

To his relief, she smiled at him "There aren't enough people like you in Tamriel."

His cheeks warmed with a blush as he smiled back at her "So what brings you to Skyrim?"

"I simply wanted to see it because I've never been here before."

"Really? With the war going on, I didn't think many people would want to come here."

Aurelia shrugged "I think I'll be fine. By the way, which side are you on with the war, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Too confusing for me. Empire, Nords, Talos, who cares? Just tell me who needs bludgeoning."

Aurelia laughed "I don't really understand this war either. I don't understand most wars or politics for that matter. Not only are they confusing, but boring too."

He laughed with her "You can say that again. So you must be pretty strong if you're not afraid of war."

"I've been through more dangerous things than this. I've run into divines know how many Daedric cults, wild beasts and bandits."

He looked genuinely impressed "I bet you have some very interesting stories to tell."

Aurelia's face lit up "Being a Companion, I bet you have lots of interesting stories too! I mean, if you would care to share them sometime."

"Does this mean I'll get to see you again?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to impose."

He furrowed his brow in confusion. "I want to see you again."

"Oh," What was she supposed to say to that? She wasn't accustomed to people wanting to see her again. She was grateful when the man spoke first.

"My name is Farkas, by the way."

"Oh, we never actually introduced ourselves, did we? My name is Aurelia Ventus. I'm from the Imperial City."

"So, you're pretty good with a bow. Are you very good with that mace?"

She shrugged "I can handle myself, but I can always be better."

"Well, maybe after you get your horse back, you can come to Jorrvaskr, we can trade stories and train."

"A chance to train and trade stories with the legendary Companions? I'd be a fool to refuse such an offer."

They smiled at each other as they finally approached the city gates, but instead of letting them pass, a guard approached them and said "Halt, the city is closed with the dragons about. Official business only."

"Dragons?" Farkas said incredulously.

"That is precisely why I need to see the jarl. I was at Helgen when it was attacked." Aurelia's tone was suddenly serious.

"Fine, but we'll be keeping an eye on you."

"You saw a dragon?" Farkas said with the same incredulity he spoke with before.

"I did. It's quite a long story though, I'll have to tell you later. That's why I need to see the jarl. Riverwood may be in danger from dragon attacks and he needs to know."

"Right. Here, I'll show you to Dragonsreach." He beckoned for her to follow him and he broke out into a jog.

"Thank you so much."

Given her propensity to get lost, Aurelia was grateful that Farkas was showing her the way, as Whiterun was definitely bigger than Riverwood.

"You see that building over there? That's Jorrvaskr and Dragonsreach is up those stairs. I'm going back. Good luck, I hope I see you again."

"Thanks. Me too."

/

"You certainly took your time getting back, Farkas. Ria and Aela got back from the job almost a half hour ago." Vilkas said as Farkas entered Jorrvaskr.

"He was talking to a woman. A very pretty one, too." Ria said with a smirk.

"Ah yes, the alchemist who could shoot a bow." Aela addressed her next words to Vilkas. "She helped us take down the giant, you know."

"A pretty woman who can take on a giant? Why didn't you bring her back here, Farkas?" Torvar said.

"She has things she has to do, but she's going to come back here after she takes care of them." Farkas said as he took a seat next to his brother at the table and grabbed an ale.

"I thought she said she wasn't interested in joining." Aela said.

"I just asked her to train with me. Although I wouldn't mind if she stayed with us, even if she was a little strange." Farkas said.

"Most alchemists are strange, in my experience." Aela said.

"Not like that. She seemed…" Farkas thought for a moment, looking for the right word "lonely."

"I wouldn't get too attached to her, if I were you. I don't trust alchemists, they're practically mages." Vilkas said.

Farkas shrugged "I liked her. She seemed nice. And strong, not many people can survive a dragon attack."

Vilkas laughed "Did she claim that she survived a dragon attack? Now I know she's crazy."

"Actually, I thought I heard the guards say something about a dragon attack on Helgen on the way back. I dismissed it because I thought I must have misheard them." Ria said.

Aela nodded "So did I. Wow, if that woman survived a dragon attack, I definitely want to hear that story."

"So there really are dragons about." Vilkas sighed "As if Skyrim didn't have enough problems."

/

Aurelia had hoped that she could be on her way as soon as she reported to the jarl, but the court mage insisted on sending her to some ruins to search for an artifact that may or may not actually be there. Normally, she would have been thrilled to accept the mission, as she thought there was a high chance of seeing some draugr up close. But without Fauna, she felt incomplete. The mission to Bleak Falls Barrow would just have to wait.

And it would have to wait awhile, seeing as how the carriage ride was excruciatingly slow. She had forgotten how much she hated carriage rides, as Fauna's presence in her life made them seldom necessary. Instead of feeling the wind through her hair as she freely moved through the wild and maybe occasionally stop to pick some ingredients, she had to sit quietly while someone else got to decide how fast to go and how to get there. She tried to amuse herself by taking in Skyrim's landscape. The jagged outcrops, the golden grasses dappled with green shrubs and trees were very pleasing to look at, but that only seemed to make her feel even more confined as she had to resist the urge to jump out of the carriage and become a part of the landscape. So she took out the book she found in Helgen Keep. _The Book of the Dragonborn_ it was called. So a dragonborn was a person of dragon blood who could steal a dragon's power after slaying it. It sure would be nice if one showed up right about now. She read the prophecy at the end of the book. Maybe there already is a dragonborn, the last dragonborn, and they just don't know it yet. She wondered what kind of powers could be taken from a dragon.

It was past midnight when the carriage finally arrived at Solitude. Damn, she'd have to wait until tomorrow to speak with anyone, because apparently the drawn out carriage ride wasn't enough. She went to the local inn where she overheard a few guests talking about a man they were going to execute in the morning. He supposedly helped Ulfric Stormcloak escape after killing the High King. She would have to try to avoid watching that as best as possible. But as soon as she left the inn the next morning, she was faced with a crowd gathered around the execution block.

"They can't hurt Uncle Roggvir, tell them he didn't do it!"

Aurelia's heart clenched at the little girl's words, but she kept walking and refused to look back. Solitude was a large city, and she had no idea where Castle Dour was, but anywhere was better than here. She finally found what she believed to be the right place when she heard a familiar voice.

"Aurelia? Please tell me I'm not actually seeing you here."

"Good to see you too, Atticus, I'll be sure to tell mother and father that you're not dead. Have you even seen active combat yet?"

"What in Oblivion are you doing here?"

"Looking for Fauna. Where does the Legion keep their horses?"

Atticus seemed unable to speak for a moment "Why would you expect to find her here?"

"The Legion stole her after they arrested me and tried to execute me."

Atticus put a hand on the hilt of his sword "And why are you wanted by the Legion?"

"I will set you on fire if you touch me." Aurelia threatened.

"Answer the question, Aurelia." Atticus threatened back.

"They thought I was a Stormcloak."

Atticus released the hilt of his sword and laughed "You, a Stormcloak. You wouldn't take up a political cause if someone paid you."

"Glad you think so, you can tell General Tullius if he tries to arrest me again. But please tell me where the horses are kept. I need to see if Fauna is among them."

Atticus sighed "I'll take you to General Tullius and we'll figure something out, but please behave yourself!"

Atticus was afraid of what Aurelia would say to the general, but he was even more afraid of what she'd do if she didn't get a chance to look for her horse, so he begrudgingly took her inside Castle Dour. Before he could even properly introduce them, Aurelia marched right up to him at his strategic planning table.

"General Tullius, it has come to my attention that the Legion may have my horse, and I demand that you give me a chance to look through your stock so that she may be returned to me."

There was a moment of silence. General Tullius clearly wasn't accustomed to being spoken to in this manner and needed a moment to recover, and Atticus was too horrified to form proper thoughts, let alone words.

"Soldier, why did you let this woman in here?" he directed his attention to Atticus.

"Oh, you don't recognize me, do you? It was only a few days ago that you tried to cut my head off without giving me a proper trial or investigation! You know, you should count yourself lucky that all I want is my horse back, because I think you owe me a lot more!"

Tullius gave her a hard look "Oh, I remember you."

"This soldier here is my brother, known me my whole life and he can tell you that I'm innocent and would never have anything to do with the Stormcloaks."

Tullius turned to a petrified looking Atticus "Is this true?"

"Yes, sir. This is my sister, and she would never fight for the Stormcloaks." He stammered.

"Very well. I take it you would also recognize her horse if you saw it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Take her to the stables then so she can find her horse and send her on her way."

"Thank you, sir." Aurelia said, still with a bite to her voice.

As soon as they went out the door and it closed behind them, Atticus's fear turned to fury.

"What in Oblivion is wrong with you? You do not talk to the general like that!"

"No, _you_ don't talk to the general like that, I'm a civilian, I can talk to him however I damn well please."

"I swear, if I get disciplined because you can't keep your mouth shut…"

"If the general would punish you for my actions, even though I am far out of your control, then he is unfit to lead."

Atticus's lips were moving, but no words came out, just grunts of exasperation "For the love of the Divines, Aurelia, it's no wonder you don't have any friends!" he was finally able to say.

"I do have a friend, and he's a Companion."

"As in _the_ Companions? You did not."

"I most certainly did! We defeated a giant together, then we walked together and talked, and as soon as I get Fauna, we're going to train together."

"Talking to someone for five minutes does not make someone your friend."

"Well, we could be! It was a very good five minutes!"

"Right, knowing you, you'll find some way to mess it up."

Aurelia merely huffed a sigh of indignation, because she knew it was probably true. As nice as Farkas seemed, she knew he must have his limits just like everybody else, and she always found some way to push them. In spite of these thoughts, she couldn't help but look forward to her visit to Jorrvaskr.

All other negative thoughts were pushed aside when she saw that Fauna was in the stables. She ran up to her, threw her arms around her and nearly sobbed as she buried her face into her neck.

"There, you have your horse, will you go now?" Atticus said impatiently.

"Gladly. Well, try not to die or anything." Aurelia said as she got on Fauna and trotted off.


	3. Chapter 3

_Dear Mother and Father,_

 _Well, it looks like I'll be staying in Skyrim indefinitely. I'm sure you've figured out by now that I have no intention of joining the Legion and I apologize for misleading you. However, even if it had been my intention to join, it would seem the Divines had other plans for me. I don't know if the news will have reached Cyrodiil by the time this letter does, but dragons have returned to Skyrim._

 _I suspect you are currently asking yourself what this return of dragons has to do with me. Well, it turns out I am Dragonborn. I have the soul of a dragon and I am uniquely able to use a kind of ancient Nord magic called the Thu'um by absorbing dragon souls. Needless to say, this ability makes me invaluable to slaying dragons, so I will be staying in Skyrim until the problem is dealt with. It would also seem that I have been summoned by the Greybeards, and I hope they can give me guidance on what it means to use this power._

 _I have also been made Thane of Whiterun for my services in slaying a dragon and have been assigned a housecarl named Lydia. I'm really not sure how to utilize her, but she seems like a nice woman and I hope I can do right by her. I am also seriously considering buying a house in Whiterun. There is a small cottage for sale, only 5,000 Septims, and it would be most useful to have a semi-permanent place of residence. If I do buy the house, address the letters to Breezehome._

 _Incidentally, I have lost all my belongings in the initial dragon attack, and any Septims you'd be willing to send my way would be very much appreciated. I have also encountered some draugr since coming to Skyrim and I'd also appreciate any reading material on the subject you'd be willing to send me. In exchange, please accept these ancient Nordic weapons I found. They probably aren't the sharpest, but they'd make for intriguing curiosities._

 _I am also considering joining the Companions and performing jobs for them to earn coin. They have already extended an offer to me, but I have heard that they are wary of magic users, so they may rescind said offer. However, I am hoping they accept me if I prove my worth to them, and I doubt there'll be any tasks that I can't handle._

 _Hope all is well._

 _Love,_

 _Aurelia_

 _P.S. I should also probably inform you that I have seen Atticus at the Legion base in Skyrim and he is alive and well. I'm not even sure if he's seen active combat yet._

Aurelia was surprised at her ability to adequately relay the events of the past few days, because her mind was still reeling so much that she didn't know how to feel. On one hand, she was thrilled. She now had the ability to destroy her enemies with nothing but her voice. She could never be disarmed. In fact, she would have felt invincible if not for the fact that she also felt bound. Of course there was the fact that she felt obligated to protect Skyrim, as her soul-absorbing abilities would prove quite useful in battling dragons, but there was something more than that as well. The last words from _The Book of the Dragonborn_ kept gnawing at the back of her mind. _The World Eater wakes, and the wheel turns upon the last Dragonborn._ She didn't know what the World Eater was, but she couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with the return of the dragons. If it had, then she was a part of some prophecy, and that made her feel more bound than anything else. But she shook those thoughts away before they could burrow any deeper. Like most prophecies, this one was vague and she had no reason to believe that she was the last Dragonborn. Besides, she had kept Farkas waiting long enough, and she wasn't going to waste any more time worrying about it. As soon as she found a courier to deliver her letter and supplies, she decided to go straight to Jorrvaskr.

The walk from the Bannered Mare to Jorrvaskr was a short one, but she felt self-conscious anytime anyone even looked in her direction. It was only last night that she slayed that dragon, but with news like a Dragonborn being in town, she wouldn't be able to enjoy her anonymity for very long. But her short walk went uninterrupted.

She didn't know if it was the pleasant late summer air that had finally worked its way into her or the excitement of getting to train with the Companions, but her worries melted away as she rounded to the back training yard of Jorrvaskr. It looked like everyone was training already. The red haired woman and a balding silver-haired man were shooting at the targets. The Imperial woman from before was sparring another woman, probably a Nord, in a leather helmet. A Dunmer man was practicing strikes against a training dummy. She finally spotted Farkas and another Nord man and walked up to them.

"Enough with the training, I want to go fight something." The Nord said.

"No fighting, not just yet. Not 'till Skjor says so. You train now." Farkas said.

"Easy for you to say. You get to fight."

"But before I fought, I had to train."

"If you're looking for a training partner, I'd be more than happy to oblige." Aurelia said.

Farkas's face lit up when he saw her "Aurelia, good to see you! I was starting to think you wouldn't show up."

"I'm so sorry, Farkas, I meant to come earlier, but certain things came up. Perhaps I'll tell you all about it when we're done training."

"Sure, and you don't have to apologize, I understand, I'm just glad you made it. Did you get your horse back?"

"Yep! She's at the stables right now."

"Ah, so you're the pretty alchemist who can shoot a bow." The Nord that Farkas had been previously conversing with said. "Aurelia, was it? I'm Torvar. I'll just get out of your way then."

"You still have to train today, Torvar." Farkas called out as he walked away. "Why don't you go spar with Athis?"

Torvar grumbled and joined the Dunmer at the dummy. Aurelia, too embarrassed to ask how she became "the pretty alchemist who can shoot a bow", quickly turned to Farkas and said "Ok, so how do we want to do this?"

Farkas indicated a weapons rack "I want to see what you can do. That's where we keep the training weapons, pick one out and we'll start with a sparring session."

Aurelia walked over, picked out a dulled mace and hurried back over.

Farkas took out his training great sword and took a fighting stance "Come at me."

As soon as Aurelia took her usual fighting stance herself, Farkas lowered his and gave her a puzzled look.

"What are you doing with your left hand?" A voice from behind her said "We don't use magic here."

As she retracted the flame that materialized in her left hand, Aurelia turned to see a man who looked a lot like Farkas, except he had a slimmer build and shorter hair. Probably Vilkas, the brother he was talking about earlier.

"You're a mage?" Farkas said.

"I'm a battle mage. I use both spells and blades." She tried to sound confident, even though she was feeling very self-conscious with many pairs of disapproving eyes on her. "But if it will make you feel more comfortable, I will refrain from using magic in this sparring session. It would be good to practice for a situation in which I am out of magicka. But please be aware of the handicap I'm putting myself in."

The wary look Farkas was giving her did not leave his face, but he took his fighting stance back up. Aurelia knew that the easy friendship she felt budding when she first met him would be ruined somehow, but she hoped it would be for a less stupid reason than a difference in fighting styles. She had heard that Nords mistrusted magic more than most, but this was ridiculous. At least he was still willing to spar with her, so she resumed her stance as well.

Farkas was bigger and stronger than her, and there was no way her mace could overpower his great sword, so she would have to out-maneuver him. She charged up with her mace, but his sword came down surprisingly quickly. She dodged to his right and attempted to make a swipe at his rib cage, but he turned his sword and staggered her back several steps with the hilt of his sword. He then swung his sword and stopped it just at her neck for what would have been the killing blow while she was still stumbling. Aurelia was impressed, if not also a little embarrassed. He was fast, strong, and resourceful. Farkas was not a man to be underestimated in battle.

"Not bad, you have really fast reflexes." Farkas said.

"Thanks, you too." Aurelia said awkwardly.

 _"_ I can go easier on you, if you want."

Aurelia shook her head "I won't improve if you go easy on me." Besides, her pride wouldn't be able to handle it.

Even though Farkas was still harboring some distrust towards her, he couldn't help but admire her determination, and the fire in her eyes as she spoke. And he wasn't the only one who noticed. Unbeknownst to them, Kodlak Whitemane had inconspicuously taken a seat at one of the tables on the porch and watched them. The calm on his face betrayed the storm of emotions in his mind. He had seen this woman before in a dream. He very much wanted to speak with her, but decided that for now, he would simply watch her train.

As the training session wore on, Farkas's unease about her use of magic melted away, as he found he was enjoying himself. He honestly didn't expect much from her, being a small woman with a small weapon, but he had to admit she was quick and clever, as she occasionally found ways to tangle his arms or legs before striking. But even more impressive was that she seemed to be making an honest effort to improve her skills. Having Torvar as a training partner as of late, he had forgotten how much fun training could be.

Aurelia was enjoying herself too. Not using her magic was proving to be quite the thrilling challenge, especially against such a worthy opponent. While she did get the upper hand occasionally, it wasn't enough for her liking. When it seemed like he had her cornered again, she remembered she had a new trick up her sleeve.

"FUS!"

Even a man as large as Farkas couldn't withstand the force of her Shout. He flew back and she used the distraction to strike with her mace, landing just short of his head. Farkas was too stunned to say anything but instead stared at her with wide eyes. All activity in the training yard ceased.

"Did you just… Shout?" Vilkas said slowly as he cautiously approached them.

"Are you alright, Farkas?" Aurelia extended a hand to him, and he took it, still staring at her.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Farkas said as he got up.

"I just learned to do it last night after I absorbed a dragon soul…"

"You're Dragonborn?" Torvar said.

Once again, all eyes were on her, but instead of disapproval, their expressions were ones of shock.

"It would seem so." She finally said awkwardly. She looked around nervously, as if looking for an opportunity to slink away. Then she noticed a pair of eyes she didn't notice before, and they belonged to an old man with a white beard.

Sensing her discomfort, Kodlak spoke "That's quite an impressive power you have there, but I will ask that you don't rough up my Companions too much."

"Oh, of course not! I swear, I would never have done it if I believed I would hurt Farkas too badly."

To Aurelia's relief, the man smiled at her "I don't believe we've been introduced, I'm Kodlak Whitemane."

"Oh! You must be the Harbinger! I'm Aurelia Ventus, it's an honor to meet you!" She walked up to him and extended a hand.

"It's an honor to meet you as well, Dragonborn. I must say, that's not a bad arm you have, and there's definitely a great deal of fire in you, we could really use someone like you in our ranks."

The others looked at each other. Before Aurelia could respond, Vilkas spoke.

"Master, you're not truly considering accepting her? Her skills are mediocre at best. And besides, she's a mage." Vilkas said.

"Battle mage." Aurelia corrected, but she had a sinking feeling in her gut.

Kodlak raised an eyebrow curiously at Aurelia before turning to Vilkas "I am nobody's master, Vilkas. And last I checked, we had some empty beds in Jorrvaskr for those with a fire burning in their hearts, even if she isn't who we typically accept. Although I am curious, you call yourself a battle mage? How does a battle mage fight?" Kodlak said. He motioned for Aurelia to sit down. She took a seat in front of him and Farkas took a seat next to her. Vilkas, sensing Kodlak's wishes, instructed everyone to return to their training.

"It depends on the situation I'm in, but I am proficient in many skills and I will use any them to survive."

"There must be some you are more proficient in than others." Kodlak said.

"But of course. I'm pretty good at restoration magic and can cast a few basic healing spells. But destruction is probably my strongest school and I can cast some pretty devastating rune traps from an impressive distance. Um, I'm also an alchemist and I make my own poisons and potions. I'm also adept at archery and one handed weapons, particularly maces and swords."

"Can you use big swords?" Farkas said.

"A little. But I prefer swords that I can wield in one hand." Aurelia said.

"Why? Big swords should always beat little swords. I was mostly beating you while we were training." Farkas said.

Aurelia raised an eyebrow at him "You wouldn't have fared nearly as well had I been allowed to use my magic. I use one handed weapons so that I can have a spell ready in my other hand."

"Hm, what do you think is the best weapon, Harbinger?" Farkas said.

"I don't think there is a best weapon. Brave hearts beat lesser ones. That's the decider, not the weapon." Kodlak said.

"I agree to some extent, although I think having a clever mind is more important than having a brave heart." Aurelia said.

"Oh? Why do you say that?" Kodlak said, genuine curiosity coloring his voice.

"Your mind is the greatest weapon you have, because if you're resourceful enough, anything can become a weapon."

"True, but without a brave heart, even the most brilliant minds can be rendered immobile."

"An excellent point, but one with a brave heart and dull mind will only get themselves killed."

Farkas had nothing to add, but he was intrigued by their conversation, nonetheless. Aurelia must be a smart woman to be able to have a conversation like this with Kodlak.

"It sounds to me like you are speaking of recklessness." Kodlak said.

"Is that not what recklessness essentially is? Senseless bravery?"

"Lacking sense is not necessarily the same thing as lacking cleverness. There is more than one way to have a strong mind."

Aurelia smiled "I think I'm going to really like working for you. That is, if you'll have me."

Kodlak laughed "I think I'm going to like you as well, girl. But we are not just a place of employment. The Companions are first and foremost a family."

She blinked "Is that not what family is, more or less? I am useful to you, and in exchange, you are useful to me?"

Kodlak seemed unable to answer for a moment as he regarded her curiously. "Well, we are all expected to pull our weight, yes, but it is more than that."

Aurelia regarded him curiously as well "What more?"

Kodlak honestly wasn't sure how to answer that question, he did not think he would ever have to explain the concept of family. He turned helplessly to Farkas.

"It means having people that you live for and fight for. But that's ok, because they live and fight for you too. And when you go out and fight, you bring honor to all of us, not just yourself. But that also means you if you bring dishonor to yourself, you bring it to all of us, too." Farkas said.

Kodlak smiled warmly at Farkas. The boy had a simple mind, but Kodlak liked to view it as a strength, rather than a weakness. Kodlak could have sworn he saw fear flicker in the Aurelia's eyes before confusion returned.

"I'm not sure how that's different from what I said before, but I promise to do my best to uphold the values of the Companions."

"Excellent. Farkas, since you two are already well-acquainted, why don't you show her where she'll be resting her head?"

Farkas nodded, stood up and beckoned for Aurelia to follow him. Aurelia smiled at Kodlak before following Farkas.

"Thank you so much!"

As soon as Farkas and Aurelia went indoors, Vilkas made his way back to Kodlak.

"Are you sure about this, Kodlak? She is a mage." Vilkas said in a hushed tone.

"Indeed, that is precisely why I think we should let her join, she could help us with our problem."

"Do you plan to tell her our secret?" Vilkas said incredulously, but still hushed.

"I don't plan on telling her anything before her due time, but the truth is, I don't have much time left. I have spent years trying to find a way to lift this curse, but my progress is slower than I'd like it to be. It may be necessary to have the help of someone more familiar with magic."

"Does it have to be her though?"

Kodlak laughed "I'd also like to have her around because, well, I like her. She is proud, but I think she has a good heart. And she is very intelligent. Actually, she reminds me of you a bit."

Kodlak smirked at Vilkas's indignant expression.

/

Jorrvaskr had a cozier feel to it than Aurelia was expecting. The center hearth was glowing and surrounded by dining tables. An elderly woman smiled at them as she cleared scraps of food from the tables. An elderly man and a middle-aged man were sitting at a table talking and occasionally sipping from their mugs.

Many questions came to Farkas's mind as he led Aurelia downstairs. It didn't escape his notice that she seemed to have a weak concept of family, but he didn't even know how to begin to broach a subject like that. And then there was this Dragonborn business. But Aurelia spoke first.

"So, you really don't mind that I use magic?"

"It is… different, but if Kodlak is ok with it, then so am I."

Aurelia smiled up at him. "I'm glad."

Farkas smiled back at her. However mysterious or odd this woman was, how could he not like her when she smiled at him so genuinely? "I'm really glad you decided to join us. I hope we keep you, this can be a rough life."

"I'm already well-accustomed to rough-living."

"I guess you would be. So you're Dragonborn?" Farkas knew it wasn't a subtle way to bring up the subject, but he didn't care and he didn't think she would either.

"That's what the guards said yesterday, after a dragon attacked the western watchtower. The jarl sent me out with his housecarl and a few guards. It was a tough battle, I've never fought anything like it. But of course, we eventually prevailed and I absorbed its soul."

"What did that feel like?"

Aurelia thought for a moment "A strange combination of reading a book and eating, like eating a book. No, more like a strong gust of wind knocking down a door inside of me. No, more like… I really can't think of a good way to describe it. There really is nothing like it. But anyway, after that happened, I was able to Shout. And then I heard the summoning of the Greybeards. Speaking of which, I shouldn't stick around too long, as I need to heed their call."

"You'll come back, right?"

"Of course! I was actually hoping I could do a few jobs for you before I left. I'm a little light on coin."

"Good, I wouldn't want to lose my new favorite training partner so soon. Well, this is where the whelps sleep."

Even though she wasn't expecting much, she was still disappointed. Looked like all she got was a bed. But she did her best not to let it show, she didn't want to seem ungrateful. She put her bag next to a bed and said "Thanks. We should probably get back outside and train some more before we lose daylight."

"Sounds good."

/

"Can't sleep tonight either?"

The dying but still warm embers of the hearth gave little light, but Farkas could still see Aurelia grinning at him from the head of the stairs. Farkas grinned back at her and beckoned her over. Her white chemise billowed and her dark curls bounced off her shoulders and back as she sauntered over to him. She sat down next to him on the floor and he handed her a bottle of ale.

"Did you grab two bottles of ale because you were expecting me, or were you going to drink both of them?" Aurelia teased.

"Well, you have come up to join me for the past three nights in a row. But if you didn't show up, I would have drank it myself."

Aurelia chuckled "I suppose just two bottles of ale wouldn't do much to someone of your stature. Well, since we both can't sleep, what crazy story shall I entertain you with tonight?" she said as she uncorked the bottle of ale.

"Actually, I was wondering if you could tell me about your family tonight."

Aurelia furrowed her brow in confusion "Why would you want to hear about that?" She usually treated questions about her family with suspicion, as knowledge of one's family was an exploitable weakness to an enemy. But Farkas was far from an enemy and she couldn't think of a reason why he would ask such a thing.

Farkas shrugged "Just curious."

"Well, there's not much to tell. My parents are book merchants living in the Imperial City. My mother runs the store while my father goes to meet with business associates or tries to make new ones. And I have an older brother who is in the Legion and is here in Skyrim fighting in the war. Um, I'm not sure what else to tell you."

"Do you miss them?"

Aurelia blinked "As in, do I wish they were here? Not really, they're happy where they are and I'm happy where I am."

"You wouldn't be happier together?"

"Why would we be? We're more useful to each other as we are."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, lots of things, for example I can't send my parents valuable foreign curiosities if I stay home, and they can't send me books from their collection if they leave home."

"Is that the only reason you care about each other? Because you're useful to each other?"

"You make it sound so heartless. If one of them died, I'd go to their funeral. If one of them needed help, I'd help them. And I'm sure they'd do the same for me. It's just that they're happier when I'm away from home, and I'm happier when I'm away from home too, therefore it's pointless to miss each other, does that make sense?"

"Not really."

Aurelia sighed "Well, why don't you tell me about your family then?"

"Why? You've already met them."

"The day we met, you mentioned a father, what happened to him?"

"Oh, right. He died a long time ago, I actually don't remember him very well. He went off to fight in the Great War and never came back."

"He fought in the Great War? Wait, how old are you?"

"I turned thirty last Midyear."

"Huh, I would have guessed younger."

"You're twenty-five, right?"

"That's right."

"I would have guessed older."

Aurelia glared at him.

"Not because you look old or anything, you're just really smart and mature."

Aurelia's features softened as she laughed "Good save."

Farkas laughed too, even though he still felt he was a long way from understanding her. But that was ok, hopefully they'd have many nights like this in the future.

/

"Hey, Aurelia, how come you never told us the story of how you slayed the dragon?"

Aurelia looked up from her plate of food unexpectedly at Torvar's voice. Usually, no one talked to her at dinner besides Farkas. In fact, Farkas was usually the only one who ever talked to her.

"You never asked." She said simply.

"You talked to Farkas about it, didn't you?" Torvar said.

"That's because he asked."

"Ok, well I'm asking now."

"I'd actually like to hear it too." Ria said as she looked forward expectantly.

"Ok, well, after I got back from Bleak Falls Barrow…"

"Wait, what were you doing in Bleak Falls Barrow?" Ria said.

"The court mage sent me to look for some sort of Dragon Stone after I reported the attack on Helgen…"

"You were at the attack on Helgen?" Athis said.

"You didn't know she was at Helgen? Didn't anyone tell you?" Ria said.

"No, no one ever tells me anything." Athis said bitterly.

"Whatever, just tell the story." Torvar said.

"Um… What story was I telling again?" Aurelia said.

"Good news, we got a contract!" Aela said as she came through the front door.

Aurelia breathed a sigh of relief.

"Excellent, what have we got?" Vilkas said.

"There's a Forsworn band that has set up camp at Serpent's Bluff Redoubt. It's close to Rorikstead and they've been raiding it frequently. The villagers are asking us to wipe them out." Aela said.

"I'm drawing a blank, who are the Forsworn?" Aurelia said.

"Natives of the Reach. They attack anyone who isn't one of them on sight." Farkas said.

"Alright, I'll take the job." Aurelia said.

Everyone stopped eating and stared at her.

"You still need to prove yourself, whelp, we don't send the new blood on jobs like that." Skjor finally said.

"How do you expect me to prove myself if you don't let me go out there and show you what I can do?"

"You already have a job that you haven't completed yet, whelp. Why haven't you taken my sword up to Eorland to have it sharpened yet?" Vilkas said.

"You were being serious?" Aurelia said.

"Of course I was, I need my blade sharpened."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize I broke your legs while we were training earlier."

Vilkas's eye twitched "No matter what you think you can do in battle, you are still a whelp to us, so you do what we tell you. That means you take my sword to get sharpened, and you don't go on this job!" Vilkas said through gritted teeth.

"What I _think_ I can do in battle? I've been all across Tamriel and fought Divines know what, you are a whelp to me!"

Vilkas stood up abruptly and Aurelia mirrored him.

"Why you arrogant little…"

"Vilkas! Aurelia!" Kodlak's voice boomed across the entire room, silencing everyone. His next words were softer, but a firm warning still in his voice. "We are trying to enjoy dinner, there is no need for such hostilities."

Aurelia and Vilkas slowly sat back down, but they never took their eyes off of each other.

"Look, Aurelia, I know you are new to Skyrim, so please listen to me when I say that the Forsworn are not to be taken lightly." Kodlak said.

"But…"

"Please, Aurelia." Farkas said "Prove your worth first, and you'll get to do jobs like this."

Aurelia took a deep angry breath. For some reason, it was harder to say no to Kodlak and Farkas. "Very well. I hear the jarl has a bounty up for a bandit chief in the area. Perhaps I'll amuse myself with that for the next few days. I'll leave tomorrow and take my housecarl with me."

Farkas wanted to say something to her, but he didn't know what to say, as he wasn't sure why she was angry. Besides, she didn't look like she wanted to be spoken to at the moment, so he let her finish her meal in peace.

Aurelia went down to the dormitories after dinner and packed her bags without saying a word to anyone. They just didn't understand, they didn't know what she could do, so she'd just have to show them. She made an honest effort to get some sleep that night, but her anger made sleep even more elusive than usual. She left around 4 in the morning and headed west. Aela had made the mistake of telling announcing the name of the village that their clients were from as well as the name of the camp itself.


	4. Chapter 4

Aurelia was beginning to sorely regret leaving so hastily. If she had waited until Arcadia's Cauldron opened to buy an invisibility potion or buy the ingredients to brew one herself, then maybe she could get a decent view of the camp. She circled it twice, but the camp was uphill and surrounded by crudely-built stick walls. Still, she supposed she should count herself fortunate. There was a sizeable gap in the walls that provided a view of the fire, which the inhabitants were likely to frequent. Plus, the hill was covered in tall, thick grass that she could easily hide herself in. She would just have to watch and wait.

She wasn't sure how long she watched the camp, but when her body was stiff from crouching in the grass and her fingers were itching for her bow, she decided the time to attack would be soon. However long she watched, she counted five Forsworn; two archers, two melee fighters, and the Briarheart. The villagers of Rorikstead had been kind enough to warn her about him; a warrior who sacrificed his heart and replaced it with an enchanted briar for increased prowess in battle. He would be tough, but the villagers also told her of his weakness. The ceremony to transform him had left a gaping hole in his chest, and if she could pluck his briarheart out, he would die instantly.

Although she would have preferred to have been a little more secure in her scouting, she had a plan. First, she noiselessly coated all her arrows in poison. Then she carefully cast a frost rune at what she hoped would be the ideal spot; close enough so that it could do damage quickly, but far enough away so that they shouldn't hear it being cast. And then she would have to spend even more time waiting. In order for her plan to work, she needed to kill both archers before she was spotted. And she had to wait until they were both in view while the melee fighters and Briarheart were some distance away to give her a better chance.

She had lost track of the moments that had gone by, but when the circumstances were favorable, she took careful aim and released a poisoned arrow into one of the archers. She faintly heard a gurgled scream as she watched the arrow pierce her neck. But she had no time to congratulate herself as she reloaded and fired at the other archer. She scowled as this one hit him in the leg. By this time, the melee fighters saw where the arrows were coming from and were searching in her direction. She hastily fired another arrow at the still living archer and dropped her bow almost instantly and reached for her mace, as the two melee fighters had spotted her. She didn't see if the arrow hit a vital point, or even if it hit the target at all, but she would just have to trust that the poison would finish the job for her. The melee fighters had just sprung her frost rune and she had no time to waste. She sprang forward and hurled two ice spikes while they were still recovering from the trap. The first one shattered against the ground behind them, but the second ice spike penetrated its target straight through the chest. The remaining Forsworn charged at her with blades up and ready to strike, but the frost rune had done its damage and his arms moved so slowly that he was unable to block Aurelia's killing blow with her mace.

Before she could look for the Briarheart, she felt a painful jolt of electricity strike her body. She looked up to see another Forsworn at the top of the hill. She jumped and rolled out of the way behind a stick wall before the shaman could strike again. Damn! She had miscalculated how many there were. She shoved a hand her bag, hoping to find a potion to restore her magicka, but it was too late. The shaman rounded the corner with her hands alight. Aurelia knew she wouldn't survive a point-blank attack like that, and if she did, she certainly wouldn't be up for fighting a Briarheart. So she did the only thing she could.

"FUS!"

Damn, she was hoping she could save her Shout for the Briarheart. She had learned that Shouting took a toll on her and she had to wait for her body to recover before she could do it again. But she had no time to dwell on that, for as the shaman flew back, Aurelia flew forward and brought her mace down on the shaman's head before she could get back up.

She turned to see a sword coming down on her. The Briarheart had found her. She dodged just in time to avoid a killing blow, but not fast enough to avoid a nasty cut on her arm. She tripped over the shaman's corpse and stumbled down the hill. Instead of trying to keep hold of her footing, she let gravity guide her downhill to get some distance from the Briarheart, but he wasn't far behind her. As soon as she came to the bottom of the hill, she turned abruptly and used what little remained of her magicka to cast a frost rune in his path. He charged right into it, with frost shards flying, but his swords still flew like a whirlwind. He certainly didn't give up his heart for nothing. His eyes bored down on her with a smirk on his face. She was badly weakened and he knew it. But the battle wasn't over yet. The way she saw it, she would either have to find a way to get in close so she could rip his heart out, or buy time until she could Shout again. The Briarheart swiped at her legs with his sword and her legs erupted blood as they were wrenched out from beneath her. She splayed out her arms to take the impact of the fall, but that turned out to be a mistake because the Briarheart skewered her arms to the ground with his swords. Her agonized screams pierced the air.

"Scream all you want, Imperial, no one will hear you." The Briarheart sneered.

"Are you sure? I screamed… pretty loud." Aurelia's voice was choked with pain, but her strained speaking would help her stall for time.

The Briarheart's boot came down on her left arm and she felt a snap. Her voice filled the air with screams once more.

The Briarheart shouted over her voice. "I'd take this a little more seriously if I were you! You've just killed my entire family! You don't think you're getting out of here alive, do you?"

She could feel her body recovering and she'd be ready to shout soon. Just a few more seconds…

"If you let me go… I can… send you to them."

She was ready to shout again. But that wouldn't help her much if she was still skewered to the ground. But he'd have to pull his blades to deliver the killing blow.

"A woman who makes jokes, even while staring death in the face? It's almost a shame to kill you."

"Well then… get on with it…I haven't got… all day."

As soon as the blades lifted from her arms, she Shouted.

"FUS!"

She scrambled to her feet as the Briarheart staggered back. She locked her eyes onto the gaping hole in his chest and lunged for him, hand outstretched. When she felt her hand enclose around the heart, she knew she had won. The look of fury on the Briarheart's face dropped into a blank one as she wrenched the heart from his chest.

Aurelia's eyes darted around cautiously a few times. When she was certain they were all dead, she collapsed to the ground. She was injured, badly. The warmth of the healing spell she cast enveloped her, knitting her flesh back together, but she still needed to see someone about her broken arm. She hoped Jouane, the only mage in Rorikstead, would have a better grasp on restoration magic than she did. Even when she finished her spell, she still felt exhausted. She slumped up to the camp. She would rest here for a few hours before returning to Rorikstead.

She had won, but she couldn't feel elated because it had been much too close. If she couldn't Shout, then she was fairly certain she would be dead. First she only survived the incident at Helgen out of sheer luck, and now this. Maybe she wasn't as strong as she thought she was. Maybe she was a fool to come out here alone.

She wondered what the Companions would say when she returned. They had to be impressed. It may have been a close call, but she still took out an entire Forsworn camp on her own, a thought that she found herself clinging to. But they may be angry too. She did go behind their backs and take the job even when they told her not to. They'd get over it when they got their gold for it. But still, maybe it would be best to let them cool down for a few days. She took out her map. She was about halfway between Markarth and Whiterun. She'd always wanted to go to Markarth. She heard it was built on top of Dwemer ruins and even had an impressive Dwemer museum. So that settled it. She would go to Markarth for a few days before returning to Whiterun.

/

It had been four days since Aurelia left to do whatever she was doing and three days since Vilkas and Ria left to take care of the Forsworn job. He felt particularly lonely with both Aurelia and Vilkas gone and was wishing that one of them, if not both of them would come back soon. He was sitting at the table by the hearth, taking a break from training when Vilkas and Ria came through the door, with deep scowls on both of their faces.

"What's wrong? Didn't the job go well?" Farkas said.

"There was no job to do! We traveled all the way to Rorikstead only to be informed that the Forsworn camp had already been taken out by a certain Imperial woman, and not the one you see next to me!" Vilkas fumed.

"You mean…"

"I still can't believe she actually did it!" Ria said, and Farkas couldn't tell if she was impressed or angry.

"So then where is she?" Farkas said.

"That's a very good question! Oblivion if I know." Vilkas said.

"You don't think she's…"

"Dead? I doubt it. The villagers said she came back after the job was done. She was a bit worse for wear, but she was alive. She stayed at the inn that night, but was gone the next morning before anyone knew what became of her."

"Hm." Farkas couldn't think of anything else to say, because he wasn't sure how to feel. There was definitely some anger. He had trusted her, and she blatantly lied to him. But he had to admit, he was also impressed. Not many people could take on an entire Forsworn camp by themselves and live to tell about it. He honestly didn't think she could do it. Perhaps he even felt a little guilt for not believing in her. But probably the most overwhelming emotion was worry. It didn't make sense for her to just run away like that. She needed gold, and she couldn't get proper payment for this job until she came back. If the Forsworn didn't get her, maybe something else did. What if it was a dragon?

His worry only grew as days, and then weeks passed by with no sign of her. The others seemed just as confused by her disappearance as he was. Kodlak even seemed disappointed. It wasn't until the beginning of Hearthfire that she showed up in their doorway during their lunch break.

"Whelp! Where in Oblivion were you? And what are you wearing?"

"Relax, Vilkas, I can explain." Aurelia said.

Everyone in the room turned to stare at her. She was dressed in Forsworn armor.

"Not only did you go behind our backs and take the job, but you joined them?" Vilkas bellowed.

"I didn't join them, I took care of the job weeks ago, weren't you informed?" Aurelia said

"Then where have you been all this time? And why are you dressed like that?" Vilkas said.

"I was in prison…"

"YOU WHAT?" Vilkas was livid.

"It's not what you think! After I broke out…"

"YOU BROKE OUT?"

"After I broke out, I was pardoned by the jarl and he apologized for my wrongful imprisonment, if you'd let me finish my sentence!"

"Vilkas, calm down. What were you even doing in prison in the first place?" Aela said.

"What is all the commotion up here?" Kodlak's voice came from the head of the stairs "Aurelia? You're back. Where have you been and why are you dressed like a Forsworn?"

"It's a long story, but I'll try. Since I took care of the job a bit more quickly than I had anticipated, and since I was near Markarth, I decided I'd like to spend a day there, maybe see the Dwemer museum, and then come straight back. But, as soon as I get there, this woman gets attacked in the street in broad daylight…"

Farkas was honestly trying to pay attention to her story, but his mind kept wandering with his eyes. This Forsworn armor, if she could even call it armor, did not leave much to the imagination. He never noticed before, but she had nice-looking legs. They were a bit short, but shapely and strong looking. And they lead up to a very firm and round…

"And then, after his confession, Nepos the Nose makes some comment about me not getting out of here alive and he and his servants start attacking me…"

Her stomach was flat, with muscle peeking through just enough so that she looked strong, but not so much that she didn't also look soft. He also noticed that her right arm was bigger and more toned than her left one. Some might consider that a flaw, but he thought it was funny, mabe even cute. While she had a more slender body type, the curves of her torso were accentuated in this outfit and very pleasing to look at. Her breasts were a good size too, and firm looking. He bet they would fit nicely in his hands…

"When I went back to the shrine of Talos, Eltrys was dead on the floor, Divines rest his soul, and the guards move to arrest me…"

Had her face always been that pretty? The stray curls that escaped that strange Forsworn hairstyle she was sporting nicely complimented her sharp, Imperial features. He bet it would be nice to run his fingers through that hair while he kissed those full, soft-looking lips…

"Wow, that was quite a story, Aurelia. Don't you think so, Farkas? Torvar? Athis?" Aela said with a smirk.

"What?" Farkas, Athis and Torvar said together, snapping back to attention. Apparently, Farkas wasn't the only one who was distracted.

"Oh for Shor's sake!" Vilkas said "Whelp, go change into something appropriate!"

Farkas shook his head at himself. What was he thinking? This was neither the time, nor the person for such thoughts. She was his shield-sister, but more importantly, now that he no longer had any reason to be worried about her, he was angry with her.

"First of all, I have name, and I'd appreciate it if you used it, Vilkas." Aurelia said with a sneer "And second, I will wear whatever I damn well please!"

"Kodlak, this woman has no place in the Companions, I suggest we boot her out at once!" Vilkas said.

"What? I just told you why I was late! Is that not a good enough reason?" Aurelia said.

"That's not the point, whelp, the problem is, you deceived us. You took a job we told you not to take and lied about it."

"I wouldn't have had to lie if you had let me go!" Aurelia said.

"You think that makes it okay?" Farkas said darkly.

Aurelia's features softened in surprise as she turned to him "You're right, Farkas, it was unfair of me to deceive you, and for that I apologize, but I succeeded, did I not? I've brought honor to the Companions, isn't that all that matters?"

"You may have brought victory to the Companions, but victory is not the same thing as honor." Kodlak said gravely.

"I… I don't understand." Was all Aurelia could think to say.

"You wouldn't, would you, mage?" Vilkas sneered.

Aurelia's rage returned "Now listen here, you…"

"Vilkas, Farkas, Aela, let's find Skjor and we can figure out what to do about our newcomer. I suggest the rest of you return to your training." Kodlak said.

"Am I being let go?" Aurelia said slowly.

"We shall see. Come." Kodlak motioned for the others to follow him down to his quarters.

The others took Kodlak's suggestion and returned to the training yard not daring a glance at Aurelia as they left, leaving her alone to wallow in her thoughts. She was so embarrassed she thought she might cry, but she wouldn't allow herself to, as someone could come back in at any second. She was so sure they'd forgive her when they heard of her success, even if the trouble in Markarth had delayed her return. What was she not understanding? She heaved a sigh. Maybe she was a fool to think she could be a Companion. She didn't fit in anywhere else, and the Arcane University only tolerated her because she did good work for them. She didn't know how she had deluded herself into thinking she would fit in here. Even more troubling, she didn't know why she cared. She was always happier being unattached anyway. She figured it had to be her anger at being rejected, what else could it possibly be? Even though her mind had settled on hurt pride, for some reason, she kept thinking about Farkas. Perhaps guilt played a role in it as well.

/

"Alright, let's talk about the problem we've been having with the newcomer." Kodlak said once everyone was gathered at the table by his room.

"I don't see a problem, she can get things done. I think it's about time we had someone as efficient as she is." Aela said.

"She's reckless, she's going to get herself killed." Skjor said.

"If she can wipe out a Forsworn band by herself, I imagine it would take a lot to get her killed." Aela said.

"I don't think anyone is doubting her ability to get things done, it is her honor that we are questioning today. And the fact of the matter is, she deceived us." Kodlak said.

"With all due respect, sir, what did you expect when you let a mage join our ranks?" Vilkas said.

Kodlak pressed his lips into a straight line as he thought. He did not want to give up on Aurelia for reasons that went beyond his desire for her help. The look on her face when he confronted her moments ago was not one of defiance, but confusion. "There is not a man, mer or beast living or dead who can claim a faultless life. Perhaps she is not dishonorable, but rather she is accustomed to a different lifestyle than is expected of the Companions. Perhaps it is time for her trial."

"I think you may be right. But who should be her shield-sibling?" Skjor said.

"Farkas? Would you be willing to watch her?" Kodlak noticed that Farkas had been silent the entire time, although this wasn't atypical of him. But he was the only one, besides himself, who hadn't seemed to have already made up their mind about her. He knew that his loyalty to the Companions was unwavering, and right now, his judgement was the only one he would trust.

"I would be." Farkas said.

"Then it's settled. But what should we do for her trial?" Kodlak said.

Skjor began "Actually, I may have the perfect thing. A scholar came to us recently, it seems he may know where to find a fragment of Wuuthrad…"

/

Farkas was relieved to see that Aurelia had changed into her simple magenta dress when he and Skjor went back out to her. She looked up at them with a neutral expression on her face.

"Your time, it seems, has come." Skjor said.

Aurelia furrowed her brow and pursed her lips in confusion.

"Last week a scholar came to us. He said he knew where to find another fragment of Wuuthrad. He seemed a fool to me, but if he is right, the honor of the Companions demands that we seek it out."

Aurelia's face twisted even more "What does this have to do with me?"

"This is a simple errand, but the time is right for it to be your trial. Carry yourself with honor, and you'll become a true Companion."

"So… you're not kicking me out?"

"Not today, but if you fail your trial, we will."

"So you just need me to go into a tomb and get a fragment of Wuuthrad? Simple enough."

"This trial isn't about proving your capability, it's about proving your honor. That is why you will not be going alone. Farkas will be your shield sibling on this venture, whelp. He'll answer any questions you have. Try not to disappoint again. Or to get him killed." Skjor left, leaving Farkas and Aurelia alone together.

"So when do we head out?" Aurelia said slowly, very aware of the heavy air between them.

"Dawn tomorrow. Don't delay." And with that, Farkas turned his back on her and headed for the stairs.

Aurelia held up a hand and opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She didn't know what she was supposed to say or do to make their relationship go back to the way it was. She sighed deeply and decided she'd rather stay at the Bannered Mare tonight.

 _Author's Note: It took me four chapters to figure out that author's notes are part of the content, and not something that I added later. You'll have to forgive me as I'm still new to this. But anywho, here it is. First of all, thank you to everyone who made it this far. Like I said, I'm new to this. While I've been making up stories in my head for as long as I've been able to form thoughts, writing them down was something I seldom did. That being said, I welcome any constructive criticism anyone has for me. What am I doing right? What am I doing wrong? I'd love to hear it._


	5. Chapter 5

Farkas and Aurelia met at Jorrvaskr at dawn as planned. Aurelia had spent the night thinking of a million different things she was going to say to him when they met, but as soon as she saw him, her tongue went dry. He was obviously still upset with her. He wordlessly motioned for her to follow him and he led her to the gates of Whiterun. She had already apologized to him for lying, what else was she supposed to say?

"Um, do you need a horse?" she finally said as they approached the stables.

"Got my own."

"Okay."

They got on their horses, and Aurelia followed Farkas west. Several minutes passed before Aurelia finally grew fed up with the awkward silence.

"So, this is my trial, you watch me to make sure I'm honorable, what exactly does that entail?"

"If you have to ask, that's a bad sign." Farkas said.

"The definition of 'honorable' can vary from person to person. I simply wish to make sure we share a definition."

Farkas thought for a moment "It means you watch my back. And it means you fight with your own strength and not magic or tricks or anything like that."

Any guilt that Aurelia was feeling was absolved with his words "Excuse me? I thought you said you were okay with the fact that I use magic. Do you realize what you're asking of me?"

"Using magic is not an honorable way to fight. It's not natural."

Aurelia raised an eyebrow "Not natural and not honorable? I've heard that Nords fear magic more than most folks, but to call it 'unnatural' is complete and utter nonsense. Your magicka is just as much a part of you as your arm. Everyone has it, even Nords, even you. I bet even you could cast a few simple spells if you actually tried. Honestly, it's the same everywhere I go. Warriors always think they are so much more honorable than mages and mages always think they are so much cleverer than warriors. But you know what? Both magic and weapons are just tools, preferring one over the other doesn't mean a damned thing. I've met plenty of honorable mages and plenty of clever warriors. You want to know what your greatest weapon is? Your mind, because both magic and weapons are useless without it. Now tell me, what in Oblivion makes you say that it's not natural or honorable?"

Farkas didn't think he'd need to explain himself. It was just something he always accepted as true. "That's what Vilkas always says."

"So you accepted my magic because Kodlak said it was ok, but now you say it isn't because Vilkas says it isn't? Are you able to think for yourself?"

Aurelia's heart instantly clenched as soon as the words came out. She knew she went too far as soon as she saw the look on his face. Usually, she didn't think twice when she insulted someone, but insulting Farkas felt like kicking a puppy. Although occasionally blunt, he had always been kind to her, even if he was currently irritating her. The worst part was, she knew he was accustomed to people insulting his intelligence, and it always made her angry when they did.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"It's alright, it's true anyway. I usually leave the thinking to others, since I'm too dumb to do it myself."

"You're not dumb, Farkas."

He turned to look at her. There wasn't a trace of sarcasm or condescension in either her face or her voice.

"It's okay, I know I am. I get confused a lot. And I don't use a lot of big words."

"None of that means you're dumb. You may speak simply, but your words have substance. There are people out there with extensive vocabularies who never actually say anything meaningful. Those are the dumb ones, if you ask me. And everyone gets confused by things. I get confused a lot too, I just get confused about different things than you do. For example, I'm really good at math and alchemy, but when it comes to dealing with people, I'm a complete idiot. Like, with this current problem we're having." She dared a tentative glance at him "You do know that I never meant to hurt you or Kodlak or anyone, right?"

Farkas was silent for a moment "That was a very reckless thing to do. Why did you do it?"

"Because I knew I could do it, and you didn't believe me. I wanted to prove you wrong. I know I'm skilled and I just wanted to show you."

"What good is skill if I can't trust you?"

"And how can I earn your trust if you don't let me prove my skill?"

Farkas sighed "You don't understand." And he didn't know how to explain it. All he could think to say was "I was worried about you, you know."

"I'm sorry, but that whole incident in Markarth was out of my control. Look, no matter where I go or what I do, I'll be fine. I've been on my own for a long time, I know how to take care of myself."

"No matter how skilled you are, I will always worry about you."

"Why?"

"Because I like you."

Aurelia sharply turned to him and looked at him as if he had just morphed into a duck.

"Why?" She said cautiously.

"Why do I like you?" He had never met someone who reacted so strangely to being told that they were liked "Because you're nice to me. I like training with you. I like talking to you. You make me laugh. You make me think about things I usually don't think about."

Aurelia was silent for a moment. The expression on her face was unreadable, yet it was clear that the wheels in her head were turning. "Well, for what it's worth, I like you too."

Farkas smirked "And why do you like me?"

"For the same reasons, I guess. And because when you say things like that, I believe you."

An odd thing to say, Farkas thought, but then again, she was an odd woman. But he did recognize it as a compliment, so he smiled at her.

"So, are we okay?" she said tentatively.

"If you pass this trial, that will be a good start. Look, I don't know what to think about magic right now, and I'm not going to tell you how to live your life, but until I figure it out, no magic for this trial."

She sighed. She supposed one couldn't be expected to completely change their worldview in one sitting. "Fine. One of the reasons I wanted to join the Companions was because I wanted to improve my arm, I guess the best way to do that is to practice. However, when you do decide what your thoughts on magic are, make sure they're your own, even if it's not the answer I want to hear. How about bows? It looks like we're almost there, so we should probably go over the ground rules before we go in."

"Bows are fine."

"And potions?"

Farkas thought for a moment. "Healing potions are fine, but no poisons."

"Oh, but I just brewed a fresh batch of 'weakness to fire' potions." Aurelia sighed "How about Shouting?"

"Shouting is fine."

Farkas brought his horse to a stop in front of the crypt. A few standing stones marked it, but it seemed the crypt itself was dug into the ground.

"So is this it, then? Is this Dustman's Cairn?"

"Yep, let's not waste any time."

They both dismounted their horses and Farkas led her down the stairs and inside. The crypt wasn't unlike Bleak Falls Barrow. The corners were laced with cobwebs and dust, and a few pottery shards were strewn about. Most curiously, there were a few lifeless draugr that looked like they had fallen from their sarcophagi.

"Looks like someone's been digging here, and recently. Tread lightly."

"Who else would seek a fragment of Wuuthrad?" Aurelia said.

Farkas hesitated. If he told her about the Silver Hand, he would have to tell her about the lycanthropy, and he knew the rest of the Circle wouldn't be happy with him if he told her. Although if the Silver Hand were actually here, he had a feeling she would find out anyway. So he just said "Grave robbers, I guess."

"Hm, I suppose." She said. "We'll have to be careful then."

Farkas wondered how Aurelia would react if she found out. He knew that he was supposed to keep it a secret because most people were afraid of werewolves. He wondered if she was afraid of werewolves. Aurelia's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"I bet there are draugr here."

"You almost sound happy about that."

"Well, I'm not unhappy. Draugr have always fascinated me since I first read about them as a girl, and since I fought them in Bleak Falls Barrow my interest has been revitalized. I mean, what's keeping them walking?"

Farkas shrugged "I was always told it was a curse laid upon them for serving the dragons or something."

"Yeah, but a curse from what? From where are they drawing their energy to walk? Maybe if I can watch them a little more, I can get a clue."

Farkas had to stifle a chuckle. If this woman wasn't afraid of draugr, he had a hard time believing she'd be afraid of werewolves "So you're not afraid draugr? What are you afraid of?"

Aurelia hesitated. She typically did not share this information easily, even with her allies. She almost felt relief when she heard that familiar growling. She fought the urge to bring a flame spell into her hands. No matter, she could handle a few draugr with her mace. Although she couldn't help but feel flustered when she noticed that Farkas took down two while she was still fighting one. She was really hoping for a chance to impress him, but instead, she got to be impressed by him. So unfair. But she supposed she should be grateful that she had such a strong ally by her side. They seemed to run into few obstacles until they came to a large room that appeared to be a dead end.

"There has to be a way through, I'm going to look for a lever or something." Aurelia said.

Farkas nodded and started searching in the opposite direction of her. Aurelia found a small alcove with a lever. She smirked and pulled it, but then she heard a gate crash behind her, followed shortly by Farkas's voice.

"Now look what you've gotten yourself into. No worries, just sit tight and I'll find a release."

"Um, this doesn't mean I failed my trial, does it?" Aurelia said.

"For getting stuck? Of course not, these things happen." Farkas said.

They heard someone or something approaching from further down. More draugr? Aurelia readied her bow and watched cautiously. No draugr, instead there were five warriors in leather armor, and they did not look friendly. They seemed to take no notice of her, but instead began taunting Farkas.

"It's time to die, dog!"

"Anyone who wears that armor dies!"

"Killing you will make for an excellent story!"

"None of you will be alive to tell it." Farkas growled.

Aurelia was still aiming her bow through the bars. Before she could even get annoyed at him for being cocky, his armor shed from his body and thick black fur replaced it. It took her a moment to shake off the shock, but when she did, she started firing arrows through the bars as he sliced through them unnaturally easily. When all five had fallen, he grabbed his armor that he shed, ran into another room, the gate that trapped her rose and he came back in his human form.

"I hope I didn't scare you. And thanks for backing me up with your bow, even though I didn't need it, it was very honorable of you."

"Not scared, shocked though, definitely shocked. What was that?"

"It's a blessing given to some of us. We can be like wild beasts. Fearsome."

"Are you going to make me a werewolf?"

"Oh no, only the Circle have the beast blood. Why? Do you want to be one?"

Aurelia thought for a moment. "I don't know. I can definitely see why it would be useful. Who were those warriors that attacked you?"

"The Silver Hand. Bad people who don't like werewolves, so they don't like us either. Listen, the Circle being werewolves is kind of a secret, so please don't tell anyone."

"Of course. So all of the members of the Circle? That means Skjor and Aela? And Vilkas? Even Kodlak?"

"Yep. We should keep moving though. Still the draugr to worry about."

Aurelia had so many questions for him. But she figured that since they now had a second threat to deal with as well as the draugr, she figured she should keep her noise-making to a minimum. Further down, at the end of a hallway, they spotted some Silver Hand and draugr fighting each other. Farkas was about to charge after them, but Aurelia held up a hand to stop him. Instead, she fired her bow and the arrow struck the neck of one of the Silver Hand. She had managed to fell a draugr as well before another Silver Hand noticed them and came charging at them. That's when Aurelia nodded to Farkas and he barreled forward, great sword raised. When all were taken care of, Farkas turned to her.

"Why did you stop me?"

"It's better to thin out their numbers from a distance before drawing attention to ourselves. Don't charge them, let them come to you. If I'm not allowed to be reckless, then neither are you."

"Well, this is how I'm used to fighting. It's not fair of you to ask me to fight different than what I'm used to."

And then she gave him a glare so potent that it was almost physically painful to be on the receiving end of it.

"W-what?" He had to admit, for a much smaller woman, she was very intimidating.

"Really? You don't like fighting in a way that's unnatural for you? Oh dear, I feel so bad for you! I can't imagine how that feels!" Every word bit with sarcasm.

Farkas gulped as the obvious dawned on him. "Aurelia…"

"Just stop. Let's go. Now."

Aurelia stormed forward, gripping her mace a little too tightly. If they were going to ask things of her that they weren't willing to do themselves, who needed them? But of course she couldn't just walk away right now. She'd finish the mission, and then she'd find another place of employment. But she wasn't going to purposefully fail the trial. Oh no, she wanted to pass it so that _she_ could reject _them_. Also because she honestly wanted to see if she could do it.

Farkas remembered that Aurelia had asked him if he realized what he was asking of her, and the truth was, he hadn't, until now. His stomach roiled uncomfortably as Aurelia moved forward, and refused to look at him. He could think of only one way to appease her.

"Hey, we can do things your way, if you want." Farkas said. He figured what she really wanted was fairness, and it was only fair to give her fairness.

Aurelia turned to him, her expression softened ever so slightly as she nodded. She seemed somewhat appeased, and yet, the only time she spoke to him was to give him orders. He was used to being told what to do, so it wasn't difficult for him to fall under her command. Farkas had to admit, her way was effective. She was good with a bow, and she managed to thin out their enemies quite well before he even needed to lift his sword. He almost found it boring, but he supposed caution was best when dealing with multiple threats.

Aurelia also had to admit that it was convenient to have him by her side. It was quite efficient not having to do everything herself as she was accustomed to. Her anger slowly subsided as they moved forward, although she still wasn't sure if she wanted to stay with the Companions or not.

It wasn't much longer before they reached the main chamber. She was about to pick up the fragment when a glowing blue light brought her attention to the far wall. She eagerly ran up to it and Farkas watched as she absorbed the Word.

"What was that?" Farkas said.

"I just learned a new Shout."

"That's great! What does it do?" Farkas said as he picked up the fragment from the table in the center of the room.

"The word is fire. So I guess that means..."

Before she could finish her sentence, they heard sarcophagus doors opening. They readied their weapons for more draugr attacks. They came in seemingly endless waves of two. As soon as one fell, another sarcophagus door opened.

"How many more do you think there will be?" Aurelia said breathlessly as she heard doors opening again after they had already slain eight draugr.

"Just keep fighting. We can do this." Farkas said, although he was getting a little winded too.

Aurelia didn't even have time to get a stamina potion as yet another draugr approached her menacingly. It was getting to a point that it was hard to keep her mace up. Her attempt to block the draugr's strike was feeble and it landed a nasty blow on her side, and then her neck.

Farkas sharply turned his attention from his own opponent to Aurelia at the sound of her cry of pain. When he saw blood gushing from her neck, he rushed over and cleaved Aurelia's opponent in the nape of the neck all the way down to the heart. This, unfortunately, left him wide open for an attack from his own opponent.

Aurelia reached uncomfortably inside her neck wound and pinched down on the severed artery to halt the flow of blood. Farkas's blade was still stuck in the dead draugr when Aurelia noticed the one still walking raised his blade to Farkas.

"YOL" Aurelia pointed her voice in the direction of the draugr, but nothing happened. She didn't have time to ponder why the new Shout didn't work, for the draugr found a weak spot in the back of Farkas's armor and stabbed right through it and he fell to his knees with a grunt of pain.

This was bad. If Aurelia didn't do something soon, they would both be killed. She hardly had enough stamina to stand at this point, but her magicka was overflowing and begging to be used. As soon as the draugr withdrew its sword, Aurelia cast a healing spell on Farkas and shouted at him.

"Move! Now!"

Farkas scrambled to his feet as he felt his wound seal up and his strength recover. He dashed toward Aurelia just in time to dodge the draugr's strike. He turned to face the draugr, sword raised, ready to defend Aurelia as she sealed up her own wounds with her spell. A powerful strike from Farkas brought the draugr to its knees, and a quick burst of flame from Aurelia finished it off. As soon as it fell, they heard two more sarcophagus doors open, one from the top level and one near the entrance.

"Sorry, Farkas, but I'm afraid I can't allow myself to pull my punches anymore." Aurelia said as she cast a fire rune at the bottom of the stairs to the upper level. "Take the one by the door, the one on top is mine."

By now, Aurelia had recovered enough stamina to draw her bow and aimed at the top of the stairs. Farkas was initially reluctant to leave her side, as she was still covered in blood, but her eyes were blazing with a confidence and ferocity he had never seen in them before. So he obeyed and focused his attention to the draugr by the entrance and charged at it.

Aurelia released her arrow as soon as the draugr came into view. It growled in pain as Aurelia reloaded. It spotted her and charged right down the stairs and straight into the fire rune before she could fire another arrow. With that draugr incinerated, she turned her ready arrow at the draugr that Farkas was battling and it fell as soon as the arrow pierced its back.

She put her bow back on her back, picked up her mace and ran to join Farkas by the door. She delved into her bag frantically for potions. She tossed a stamina potion to Farkas and uncorked a magicka potion for herself as soon as they heard two more sarcophagus doors opening. Farkas readied his weapon with renewed strength and Aurelia's left hand glowed with frost magic. As the draugr bolted after them, Aurelia hurled an ice spike at each one.

"Crush them!" Aurelia snarled.

Farkas lunged at his opponents without hesitation. Aurelia knew the ice spikes wouldn't do that much damage, as they were still Nords, even if they were undead Nords, but their slow movements and weakened stamina made them easy prey for Farkas.

And they continued like this for three more rounds of draugr, Aurelia doing her best to balance her stamina and magicka, and Farkas watching Aurelia and following her lead. When they heard only one sarcophagus door open instead of two, they knew the end was near. A death lord stood before them.

"I'll keep him busy, get behind it and strike when I shout." Aurelia said in a rush. She then flung a firebolt at it to ensure that its attention would be on her.

"FUS ROH DAH"

Fortunately, Farkas had already moved a distance away when Aurelia was forced flat on her back. He was tempted to run to her, but he thought it best to stick to her plan. The wind was knocked out of her, but she got up and tried not to think about what would have happened had the death lord been closer. She brought up her mace just in time to block an overhead strike. Her strength was waning as she pushed up with both hands. She knew this draugr was stronger than her, and she couldn't keep this up. Her heart sang with relief when she spotted Farkas behind the death lord, anxious but ready. She locked eyes with him and nodded.

"FUS"

Farkas brought down his blade with all the strength he could muster as the force of Aurelia's shout knocked the death lord straight into the blade. The draugr writhed feebly against the stuck blade and Aurelia finished it off with a gust of flame. Farkas wrenched his blade from the corpse and the two stood still for a moment, listening for the sounds of more sarcophagus doors opening. When it was silent, they both sighed with relief. Aurelia collapsed to the floor in exhaustion. Farkas came and sat next to her.

"Are you alright? You look really bad. Do you need a healing potion?" Farkas said.

Aurelia smiled wearily "You don't look so good yourself. You go ahead and take a potion or two, I'll just do this." And Aurelia cast a healing spell on herself.

"That was… I've never seen anyone fight like you." Farkas said as he rummaged for a healing potion.

"You were quite impressive yourself." Her smile dropped with her next words "So what happens now?"

"Now we go back and I tell the Circle how the trial went and we decide whether or not we want to keep you."

"Do you think I should be a Companion?" Aurelia said.

"I do." He said without hesitation "There's definitely a fire in your heart, like Kodlak said. But…"

"But I use magic." Aurelia finished for him. "And I won't stop using magic. Ever."

"Like I said, I still don't know how to feel about it." Farkas said.

The two were silent for a moment.

"We should go." Aurelia finally said.

The sun was setting when they mounted their horses and headed back to Whiterun. They were both silent the entire ride back to the stables, for they both had a lot on their mind. Aurelia had been questioning whether or not she actually wanted to join the Companions and she realized that her problem had been inadvertently solved by the fact that she used magic during the trial. If they rejected her because she used magic, she didn't want to be with them anyway. If they accepted her, then she could be happy working with them. But that didn't mean she wasn't anxious for the answer.

Farkas had a lot on his mind too. In his opinion, she was honorable, even if it defied what he typically would have felt. It was confusing, but he knew that he didn't want to see Aurelia go. He tried to think of a defense for her, and his mind kept going back to something that happened during the big draugr fight. It wasn't until they were walking back to Whiterun from the stables that he asked the question.

"Can I ask you something?" Farkas said.

Aurelia looked up at him. "Yes?"

"Back there, when the draugr were attacking us, why did you cast the healing spell on me before yourself?"

"Well, for one, you were in the most immediate danger. But also because it would be better if you survived over me."

"Why do you say that?"

"You have people who would miss you terribly if you were gone, I don't." she said nonchalantly.

Farkas stopped to stare at her.

"What?" she said.

"What about your family? Your friends?"

Aurelia snorted a laugh "I don't have any friends, and as for my family? Yeah, they'd grieve for a while, but they'd be fine. My parents already have another child, one that they even like better than me. And they're really doing fine financially. While they do enjoy the foreign curiosities I send them occasionally, they don't need them."

"So the reason you saved me first was because you don't believe anyone would care if you were gone." Farkas said with a slow, heavy voice. Suddenly, so much about her made sense. This was why she reacted so strangely when he told her he liked her. This was why she was so reckless. She didn't sneak off to be difficult or defiant, she did it because she truly believed it was the only way she would gain their acceptance. Because she believed that the only reason anyone would ever want her around was if she was strong. His heart ached for her.

"Hey, come on! Don't look at me like that! I'm not someone that should be pitied. I have a great life! Did you know that I have published six different alchemical theorems in my lifetime? That's pretty impressive. And I've been everywhere in Tamriel except for Hammerfell and High Rock. I'm happy! I don't care that no one cares about me!"

Farkas instinctively took her by the hand and pulled her into a hug.

"What are you…?" Aurelia felt her cheeks go hot, even though it wasn't a particularly intimate embrace, as they were both still wearing armor. And yet, she felt her arms go around him as well.

"I care about you."

"You've only just met me."

"So?"

"So… give it some time, you'll be annoyed with me soon enough."

"A lot of people annoy me, but that doesn't mean I don't care about them.

She sighed and pulled away, but still held onto his arms "You're strange."

But Farkas only smiled at her "You're even stranger."

Aurelia chuckled and started walking again "I won't deny that."

"Even if the Companions don't accept you, I still want to be your friend. Is that okay?"

Aurelia tried to hide her crimson cheeks and control her cracking voice "Um yes, sure. If that's what you want."

"Good."

/

The sun had set when they made it back to Jorrvaskr, but the night was still young. Aurelia waited in the mead hall while Farkas gathered the rest of the Circle and met near Kodlak's room. Farkas told the story from beginning to end. Every one was silent for a moment after he finished as if trying to figure out what to address first.

"She certainly does sound… impressive. I almost wish I could have seen it for myself." Kodlak finally said.

"We already knew she could be useful on the battlefield, we gave her this trial to test her honor. She was told not to use magic, and she didn't listen." Vilkas said.

"Would you rather she didn't, and let your brother die?" Aela said.

"Of course not. I am grateful that she prioritized my brother's life. But a true Companion could have handled herself without using magic, and she couldn't. I don't see why we're having this discussion." Vilkas said.

"Farkas, you were the one in charge of her trial, what do you think?" Kodlak said.

"I don't know, that's why I came to you."

"You were the only one there, you are the only one who can speak for her honor. Do you believe she is honorable?"

"Yes." He said without hesitation. He quickly looked down at Vilkas's confused glare.

"And why do you believe that?"

Farkas thought for a moment, still avoiding his brother's eyes. "She saved my life, even if it meant she knew she might fail the trial. I think, sometimes it's more honorable to break the rules instead of following them. It also isn't fair of me to judge her when I broke a rule too. I showed her my beast form."

"Ah, that's right, the whelp knows our secret now." Vilkas groaned.

"Um, sorry." Farkas said. "But she didn't seem bothered by it, really."

"That's not the point. How do we know she will keep our secret?" Vilkas said.

"I trust her." Farkas said.

"I don't, and neither should you." Vilkas said.

"If you don't trust her with this secret, perhaps it is best to keep her nearby as opposed to letting her go." Kodlak said.

Farkas was grateful that Kodlak spoke up so he wouldn't have to respond to Vilkas's last comment.

"I suppose you're right." Vilkas grumbled.

"Well, Farkas, are you prepared to give the oath?" Kodlak said.

"I am."

"Excellent. I will tell Tilma to prepare a feast, and we will gather up the rest and perform the ceremony." Kodlak said.

/

Not only was Aurelia greeted by the five members of the Circle, but the rest of the Companions marched up the stairs as well. She fidgeted at the uncomfortably large audience, but looked up expectantly.

"Come, newest shield-sister, it would seem you have passed your trial." Skjor said.

Aurelia's eyes widened, but she followed the crowd out to the training yard. They had assembled in a way that left Farkas and her in the middle. She did not like being the center of attention, but the warm glow cast by the torches, the gentle breeze in the air and Farkas by her side gave her a greater sense of calm. Kodlak began the ceremony.

"Brothers and Sisters of the Circle, today we welcome a new soul into our mortal fold. This woman has endured, has challenged and has showed her valor. Who will speak for her?"

"I stand witness for the courage of the soul before us." Farkas said.

"Would you raise your shield in her defense?"

"I would stand at her back, that the world might never overtake us."

"And would you raise your sword in her honor?"

"It stands ready to meet the blood of her foes."

"And would you raise a mug in her name?"

"I would lead the song of triumph as our mead hall reveled in her stories."

"Then this judgment of this Circle is complete. Her heart beats with fury and courage that have united the Companions since the days of the distant green summers. Let it beat with ours, so the mountains may echo and our enemies may tremble at the call."

"It shall be so." Everyone said.

Aurelia had to look down most of the ceremony to hide her furious blushing. She wished she had let her hair down before the ceremony so she could hide in it. At least it was over now and she could get some rest soon.

"Alright! Time for the feasting and drinking!" Torvar cheered enthusiastically.

"Feasting and drinking? Like a party?" Aurelia stammered.

"Well, yeah, you didn't think this was it, did you?" Ria teased.

"Um, okay." Maybe if she drank enough mead, she could get through this.

Farkas kept good on his oath to "lead the song of triumph as our mead hall reveled in her stories." Farkas unabashedly bragged about her. He went on about how she wasn't even afraid of draugr, about how quick-minded and clever she was in battle, and about that fiery look she got in her eyes when she was in the heat of battle, whatever that meant. Aurelia just busied herself with eating and drinking. To her relief, she did relax considerably as the night wore on. She even chatted amicably with them, some of them anyway. Njada still didn't talk to her and neither did Vilkas, not that she cared.

"So what do you say, Rey? Do you want to do a job together sometime?" Torvar slurred.

"Did you just call me Rey?" Aurelia said.

"You don't mind, do you? Your full name is kind of a mouthful." Torvar said.

"You could manage it just fine if you weren't intoxicated all the time." Aurelia joked.

"Hey, you're drunk too!"

"But I can still say your name, Torvar." She emphasized his name, although her speech was slurred too.

"But my name is easy!"

"Actually, I like Rey, I think it suits you." Ria said.

Aurelia laughed "Ok, you can all call me Rey, if Aurelia is too much for you."

"You still haven't answered my question, Rey, do you want to help me?" Torvar said.

"Perhaps another time, I think it's time I went to High Hrothgar. I was summoned about a month ago and haven't been able to go due to distractions. I think I'll leave tomorrow." Aurelia said.

"If you have duties as the Dragonborn, we will not keep you from them. Please stay safe." Kodlak said.

"Thank you, Harbinger, I'll return as soon as I can."

It was about when Torvar fell asleep on the table that everyone else decided to retire for the night. Aurelia was relieved at this, because she was getting to a point that the large amount of social interaction was wearing on her even with alcohol in her system. After everyone else had descended, Vilkas caught her by the head of the stairs.

"So you know our secret." He stated.

"You mean the lycanthropy? Yes, I know. I hope you're not mad at Farkas, there were five of them, and I was stuck…"

"If you tell anyone, I'll slit your throat." He said intimidatingly.

But instead of being intimidated, she just looked confused "Why would I tell anyone? That would put you all in danger, wouldn't it? And I wouldn't be able to bear it if something happened to Farkas because of it. Oh, and the rest of you, too."

He pressed his lips into a thin line. He had noticed that she had a particular weakness for his brother, and he for her as well, a thought that bothered him endlessly. In spite of her pathetic social skills, he had to admit, she wasn't an unintelligent woman. He supposed he had no choice but to trust that she wouldn't slip up.

"I'll be keeping my eyes on you." Vilkas said before making his way down the stairs.

Aurelia rolled her eyes and followed him down the stairs.


	6. Chapter 6

Aurelia was positively chipper when she woke up the next morning. And why shouldn't she be? For one, she couldn't remember the last time she slept that well. She had been so exhausted (and intoxicated) that she fell asleep as soon as she collapsed on the bed. Second, she had just secured her employment, and nobody told her not to use magic. And soon she would be on the road again, losing herself Skyrim's beauty, just Fauna and herself. Although her cheeriness turned to nervousness as she walked up the stairs. She hadn't forgotten the way Farkas held her last night, and the thought of it brought a blush to her cheeks. But as soon as she spotted him sitting alone at the table, her apprehension melted away.

"You weren't waiting for me, were you?" Aurelia said with a smile.

"I wanted to make sure I said goodbye before you left today."

Everyone had finished breakfast already, so she sat down to eat what was left.

"Oh come on, you didn't actually think I'd leave… without… saying anything…" her words fizzled out awkwardly as she realized what she was saying.

"It's ok, I've forgiven you for that, now that I know why you did it."

"Actually, I've been thinking about that."

"Oh?"

Aurelia bit her lip "I originally said it was because I wanted to prove to you that I could do it. Which is true, but I think it's more than that. I think, more than anything, I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. Helgen was the closest I've ever come to death, and well, it scared me because I thought I had grown weak. The dragon attacked mere seconds before the axe came down on my neck. I've never felt so vulnerable in my life. I always thought that as long as I had my mind, I could get out of any bad situation, and I _have_ gotten myself out of dozens of bad situations. But I didn't get myself out of this one, dumb luck did. I guess I needed to prove to myself that I was still strong and smart, that I could still save myself. Because I certainly didn't feel that way after Helgen. I still don't know."

"You are strong, and you are smart, but that doesn't mean you're invincible, nobody is. That's why we have shield-siblings. We are all strong on our own, but together, we're even stronger. Which is why I'm really happy that you joined, because now the Companions are even stronger."

She looked at him and a warm smile crept into her lips "I don't understand how you can think you're dumb when you say such smart things."

Farkas's cheeks heated up as they always did when she complimented him.

"Ah, hello Aurelia, glad I get the chance to say goodbye before you go."

They both turned to see Kodlak making his way over to the table from the head of the stairs.

"Hi, Kodlak. Did you sleep in, too?" Aurelia said.

"Sleep often eludes me, so when I grab hold of it, I keep it for as long as I can."

"You don't have to tell me, that's why I slept in too." She finished the piece of bread she was eating and got up "but I should be on my way soon."

"Are you going alone?" Kodlak said.

"Yeah, the roads aren't that dangerous, are they? Besides, who would I bring?"

"Don't you have a housecarl?" Farkas said.

"Oh yeah, Lydia. I should probably stop by Dragonsreach before I go and let her know I'm not dead."

They both chuckled at her as she picked up her bag and headed for the door.

"Well, I should get going before it gets too late, I'll come back as soon as I can."

Farkas got up and hugged her "I'm going to miss you. Actually, do you think you could write to me?"

Kodlak raised an eyebrow curiously at this, as he had never known Farkas to write or request letters from others.

"I suppose, but why?"

"I just want to know that you made it there safely, also I thought it'd be nice to hear from you."

Her lips twitched in a smile "I suppose I can manage that. Ok, well, I'm off then."

She gave his hand a squeeze before walking out the door. Farkas sat back down at the table.

"Do you think I made the right decision? Letting her join?" Farkas said.

"I trusted your judgement last night, why shouldn't I trust it now?"

"Vilkas isn't happy."

"You understand her better than Vilkas, better than anyone else here. I still trust your judgement."

"I just think I may have let her join for the wrong reasons."

"What makes you say that?"

"When I first met her, I thought she was a lonely woman, turns out I was right. I wanted her to join because I wanted her to have a home she could come back to. I wanted the Companions to be that home for her. I wanted her to join for her sake, not ours. But of course, I do still think she's strong and honorable."

"You are a kind boy, Farkas, and I do not believe that is a wrong reason at all. If we accepted members asking only what they can bring to us and not what we can bring to them, we wouldn't be much of a family now would we? And we certainly wouldn't have accepted two toddlers all those years ago." Kodlak said with a knowing smile. "But I suspect you know this already, what Vilkas thinks troubles you."

Farkas nodded.

"I understand why this would trouble you, the two of you have hardly disagreed on anything your entire lives. But it is ok to have disagreements, just like it's okay for you to form your own opinion on things."

"That's what Aurelia says too."

"She's a smart girl, and I know that the love between you and Vilkas is stronger than any disagreement you may have."

"Thanks, Kodlak."

/

"Hello, my thane. I was worried about you." Lydia said.

Lydia was sitting at one of the long tables in front of the hearth in Dragonsreach.

"Oh, hi, Lydia. Sorry about that. I was, um, stuck in Markarth due to unforeseen circumstances beyond my control. Anyway, I was just checking in on you."

"A package came for you while you were gone from a Curtis and Marcella Ventus. Your parents I presume?"

"Ah, yes, thank you."

Lydia handed her a package. She opened it to find some books, a letter, and a generous sum of gold.

 _Dear Aurelia,_

 _So you have the soul of a dragon. Suddenly, so much about you makes sense. Regardless of whether or not you think this makes you suited to dragon slaying, do be careful._

 _Thank you for the ancient Nordic weapons. Alfonso Fanucci really liked them and paid us a nice some of gold for them. So here is 3,000 septims and every book we could find regarding draugr. Hopefully, this should help you buy that house._

 _I hope you and your brother are staying safe._

 _Love, Mother and Father_

"Ha! I just got 3,000 septims, you know what that means, Lydia? I can buy Breezehome! And of course, you can stay there too."

"That's great, my thane."

"Hey, listen, do you think you could just call me Aurelia?"

"If that's what you want, Aurelia."

"Great thanks. So I think I'm going to buy Breezehome, and then be on my way to High Hrothgar."

"Would you like me to accompany you?"

"Um, I don't know, do you want to come?"

"I want to do whatever you wish."

Aurelia huffed a sigh. She was looking forward to being on the road alone again. But at the same time she did want to see what Lydia could do in battle. Then again, there probably wouldn't be much opportunity for that on this trip.

"Sorry, I've never had a housecarl before, I don't know how this works. Listen, I'm going to go to High Hrothgar myself, and then when I return, why don't we do something together? I'm pretty sure that bounty for a nearby bandit chief is still up. And that Amren fellow was looking for someone to find his family sword in a den of bandits. It'll fun, just you and me slaying bandits."

Lydia quirked her lips into an amused smile. "As you wish."

/

The trip to Ivarstead had been mostly uneventful. This gave her nothing to do but enjoy the Rift's colorful foliage and think. She had never made a friend before, not really. But she could think of no other word for what Farkas was to her. It was a strange feeling, looking forward to simply being with someone again, but she didn't mind it. In fact, she almost liked it. But was it wrong for her to like it? Her family had always said she was like the wind. She knew they were referring to the fact that she was restless and unpredictable, but she had proudly taken the wind as her identity. To her, it meant that she was powerful, free and unattached. But if she had made an attachment, could she still call herself the wind? But the wind was also an agent of change, and if she was the wind, then she should welcome change. But could she change so much that she would no longer be the wind? Could she still be Aurelia if she was no longer the wind? As Farkas would say, it was all so confusing.

She arrived in Ivarstead early in the morning with no conclusions to any of her thoughts. Neither did she have any conclusions after she spent the day doing farm work in Ivarstead for some gold. Then again, it's not like she had any time to think. The farmers' daughter Fastred wouldn't stop asking for stories about her adventures across Tamriel. Although Aurelia was happy to oblige, as she liked telling her stories and it helped to pass the time. At the end of the day, her muscles were aching but she had a hot bath, a hot meal and a cold ale to look forward to at the inn.

As she sat at the table waiting for her meal to arrive, she took out some parchment, a quill and ink and started writing a letter to Farkas.

"Who are you writing to?"

Aurelia jumped at the voice in her ear. "Fastred! Shouldn't you be at home?"

"Why? It's not that late. So are you writing to a lover?"

"No, he's just a friend."

"That's what they always say, so Farkas is his name?"

"You know, it is rude to read someone else's letters." Aurelia said as she shielded the letter with her arms.

Fastred, completely ignoring her and taking a seat next to her, said "Farkas, I swear that name sounds vaguely familiar. Oh! He's a Companion! He's come through here before on jobs. Huge Nord? Doesn't talk much?"

"That would be him."

"Oh, he's handsome! And there's just something about the strong, silent types… You have good taste! You, know, I never figured him for the letter-writing type."

Aurelia rolled her eyes "For the last time, he's just a friend."

"Right, right, so have you ever been in love then?" her airy voice suddenly turning serious.

"I thought I was once, and then I realized it was just hormones." She said nonchalantly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

Aurelia shrugged "That was a long time ago, I'm over it. In fact, I'm better off."

"Oh, so you're not very experienced in love, I was actually hoping you could help me with something. I've been praying to Mara and I was hoping she'd send someone."

"Yeah, I definitely haven't been sent by Mara, but I can try to help."

"Well, you see, I'm in love with Bassianus. And he wants to take me away to Riften, and I want to go with him, but my parents would try to stop us."

"So? You're eighteen aren't you?"

"It's not that simple. And then there's Klimmek."

"What about him?"

"Well, if I settle on Bassianus, I'll have to give up my love for Klimmek."

Aurelia coughed "Klimmek? Isn't he at least twice your age?"

"I don't think he's that old! But he's wonderful. But then again, so is Bassianus. Oh, I just don't know what to do!"

"It seems like no matter who you go far, you'll be settling down. Since I've met you, you've gone on and on about how you want to leave this place and see the world. I'm sure you'd get bored of Riften just like you are of Ivarstead. Besides, I've personally never been to Riften, but Farkas says it's a shithole."

Fastred gasped and grabbed Aurelia's hands "I could come travel with you! Oh, it could be great! Two beautiful, single women wandering Skyrim! Maybe even the rest of Tamriel!"

Aurelia wrenched her hands away "Are you crazy? We've only just met less than twenty-four hours ago!"

"So? I felt a soul-deep connection with you the minute you came up to us and said 'hey, need some help around the farm?' It was almost like you were a long lost sister or something! Well, not really, you're too short and dark-skinned to be related to me, but like a soul sister!"

"Oh for Shor's sake, do you even know how to fight?"

"Well, sometimes foxes come after the chickens, and I throw rocks at them."

"That's adorable. But how can I be expected to take you anywhere if you can't fight?"

"I could be your apprentice!"

Aurelia sighed "You know, if you're so willingly leave both of your potential suitors just to follow me, then odds are neither of them are right for you. Ok, look, tell you what. You learn how to fight, and I'll take you on an adventure sometime."

"Do you mean it?"

"If you can learn to fight, I can't stress that enough. What do you want to learn?"

"Gee, I don't know, I never thought about it."

"Ok, do you have any interest in magic?"

"Not really."

"Of course, I should have figured you wouldn't. Alright then, if you're not going to use spells for ranged attacks, then you're going to want to learn archery. Fortunately, I happen to have a spare hunting bow that I keep forgetting to sell." Aurelia reached into her enchanted bag and pulled out the hunting bow and Fastred's eyes bugged out. This was when the innkeeper came by with her meal.

"Hey there, no need to be arming yourself in here now."

"Sorry, Wilhelm. Fastred, just take that with you and I'll give you quick lessons on how to use it before I head up tomorrow. But for now, I am going to enjoy my meal and rest for the rest of the night. You should probably go home soon."

"Ok, I promise to practice every day!"

"But don't neglect your chores either, I don't need your parents blaming me for that."

"I will, thank you so much!" Fastred hugged her before running back home with her new weapon.

Aurelia rolled her eyes but grinned and returned to her meal and letter.

/

Farkas received his letter from Aurelia about a week after she left

 _Dear Farkas,_

 _I finally made it to Ivarstead. It took a little longer than expected since the wilds were teeming with useful ingredients that were ripe for the picking. And wolves. So many wolves. Well, now the wilds are teeming with dead wolves. I hope I don't upset the balance of the ecosystem, but what am I supposed to do when they insist on being so aggressive?_

 _Anyway, I am now resting at the local inn. I spent the day helping out some local farmers with their fieldwork in exchange for gold. They're a very nice family. They have an eighteen year old daughter named Fastred that actually reminds me a lot of myself at that age. She's naïve, but eager to explore the world. Her relationship with her parents isn't terrible, but it's not exactly good either. She even begged me to take her adventuring with me. Maybe I will someday._

 _How are things at Jorrvaskr? Gotten any good jobs lately?_

 _So I'll be climbing the 7,000 steps tomorrow morning. I'm really hoping I get there before dark. Not sure I can handle a night on a freezing mountain. I must admit, I'm a little nervous to go see the Greybeards. I'm sure they were expecting me sooner._

 _Hope to see you again soon._

 _Your friend,_

 _Aurelia_

Farkas was smiled affectionately at the letter. He had just starting penning his own when he heard Vilkas's voice.

"Since when do you write letters, Farkas?"

"Um, I'm just…"

"You're writing to _her,_ aren't you?" he said disdainfully.

"Aurelia? Yeah, so?"

"Farkas, I need to ask you a serious question. Why did you want her to join?"

Farkas hesitated. He wondered if he should tell Vilkas what he told Kodlak. Would Vilkas understand, or would he just laugh at him? He must have spent too much time thinking because Vilkas spoke again, his words cautious.

"Is it because you want to bed her?"

"What? No! I don't want to… Ok, well maybe a little. But I wouldn't! It would be too weird, with a shield-sister."

"I just don't want to see you get hurt Farkas, I don't want to see any of us get hurt."

"And no one will, not because of her. I trust her, Vilkas, I know you don't trust her, but can't you trust me?"

Vilkas was silent, and this silence hurt Farkas more than he was willing to let on.

"I just want her to be happy." Farkas finally said.

"And what about the rest of us?"

"The rest of us are happy that she's here. You and Njada are the only one that seems to have a problem with her. Why don't you just give her a chance?" Farkas said, voice rising.

"I did give her a chance, and she betrayed our trust!" Vilkas's voice raised as well.

"No you didn't! And she made a mistake, she apologized for it, and then she made it up by getting us a fragment of Wuuthrad. She even risked her life to save mine. What more do you want from her?"

Vilkas's face contorted in anger and shock but no words came out. Farkas had never spoken to him like this before.

"Leave me. Please."

Vilkas didn't want to leave with the tension still so thick in the air, but he couldn't think of anything to say, so he complied with his brother's wishes.

Farkas sank his forehead into his palms. He did not know how to deal with this.

/

Aurelia practically skipped back down the 7,000 steps. She couldn't wait to tell Farkas all about it. Fastred would probably want to hear about it too. She was still trying to decide whether or not to write him about it or tell him everything in person when two cultists in strange masks approached her.

"You there! You're the one they call Dragonborn?"

"Um, yes?"

"Your lies fall on deaf ears, deceiver. The true Dragonborn comes. You are but his shadow. When Lord Miraak appears all shall bear witness. None shall stand to oppose him!"

"What are you…"

But the cultist blasted her with a flame spell that Aurelia quickly countered with a frost spell. Fortunately, this caught the attention of the guards and they descended on the cultists brandishing swords. One of the cultists fell quickly to the guards, but the other kept his focus on her and continued blasting her with flames. The robes the cultist was wearing were thick and the mask protected his head very well. She tried to think of the best way to attack him, but it was very difficult to think when she was getting badly singed with the attacks. That's when an arrow landed in his neck. Aurelia plunged her Skyforge sword into his gut to finish him off. She cast a healing spell on herself and turned to see who fired the arrow.

"Fastred?" Aurelia said incredulously.

"Hey, I just saved your life! Does that mean I can go with you now?"

"You've only been at the bow for a few days, in all honesty that was probably just a lucky shot, grateful as I am for it. Are you sure you're ready to take on the world?"

"S-sure!"

Aurelia smirked "Alright then, let's start with a little adventure here. You know, Wilhelm told me that that old barrow over there is haunted. I kind of want to check it out, will you join me?"

"Are you kidding? That place is evil!"

"Well, then I don't think you're ready to travel with me."

Fastred scowled indignantly. She didn't want to admit it, but she was probably right.

Aurelia bent down to search the cultist that was dead at her feet. She found a note and read it. She shoved it angrily in her bag. Great.


	7. Chapter 7

Threats on Aurelia's life were nothing new. When one travels around and causes trouble as much as she does, one is bound to make enemies. Still, it would be very nice if she didn't have to deal with it, with everything else going on. Maybe she didn't have to deal with it. Maybe whoever this Miraak was would give up after she had taken out his hirelings. It had worked for whoever had sent the Dark Brotherhood after her in her past. Still, she'd cast runes around the entrance to her house just to be safe.

It was near the end of Hearthfire when Aurelia finally returned to Jorrvaskr. She figured she should at least stop by and say hello before taking Lydia out. It was after dinner, but Farkas, Ria, Athis and Torvar were still lingering.

Farkas got up to greet her "Good to see you, Aurelia! How was High Hrothgar?"

But before she could answer him, Torvar slipped an arm around her shoulder and steered her away "My favorite drinking buddy! Let's get some mead!"

"Since when am I your favorite drinking buddy?" Aurelia said.

"You were pretty fun at your acceptance feast. Here have a mead." Torvar pulled out a chair for her next to his.

"Are you trying to butter me up for something?"

"No! Well, I was going to ask you to accompany me as my shield-sister on this job I've accepted…"

"Hey, I was going to ask her to accompany me on my job!" Ria said.

"Why don't you ask Athis?" Torvar said.

"Why don't _you_ ask Athis?" Ria said.

"Well, fuck you too." Athis mumbled.

"Guys, I already promised my housecarl I'd take her bandit slaying as soon as I returned." Aurelia said. Were they actually fighting over who got to spend time with her? This was a first. She knew it was just because they were curious about her skill in battle. Still, it was weird.

Farkas sat back down unobtrusively. Perhaps he should be annoyed that her attention was stolen from him, but he really wasn't. When she first joined, she hardly spoke to anyone but him, and it was nice to see her getting along with the other whelps. Besides, he could talk to her later.

"How long will that take?" Torvar said.

"Not long, we were just going to go for some local camps."

"So do you want to join me when you're done then? There's a bandit camp in Falkreath, I think it's called Knifepoint Ridge that needs to be cleared out."

"No, you should come with me! There's also a camp of giants that's been causing trouble here in Whiterun Hold, it's called Secunda's Kiss. Giants will be much more fun than bandits!" Ria said.

"Well, I mean, I need to go to Hjaalmarch for a trial from the Greybeards, and both of those are in the opposite direction."

"Oh, come on!" Torvar said.

"Actually, why don't the four of us go together and do both jobs? I'd love to see what you all can do in battle. And then we can come back, collect our payment and whoever wants to can accompany me on my mission." It was clear that the others wanted to see how she could be an asset to them, and she was also curious as to how they could be an asset to her.

"But the more people that go on a mission, the less gold we get." Torvar grumbled.

"But you'll be safer." Farkas chimed in.

"That's right." Aurelia said "Not only that, there will be two missions, and if any of you decide to accompany me to my mission to Ustengrav, there are bound to be some valuables in there."

"I like this plan, I'll come with you." Ria said.

"Oh, I suppose I will too. Strength in numbers and all that." Torvar said.

"I'll come along, too. But for now, it would probably be a good idea to train a little more before it gets too dark out, have a good evening, Rey." Athis said as he got up.

Ria and Torvar seemed to agree with him as they followed him back outside. Aurelia walked over to Farkas and sat next to him "Sorry about that."

"No need to apologize, I'm just happy you're making friends."

Aurelia snorted a laugh "I'm not making friends, I'm making contacts."

"Don't you like them?"

"Well sure, Torvar's a little forward, but he's fun. Ria is sweet, she's never given me a reason to dislike her. I'm not sure about Athis. He's made a few snide comments," She mimicked his Dunmer accent "'Oy never thought they would actually let me join the Companions. But now it looks like they're letting anyone in these days.' But he's never really been openly hostile with me like that one blond woman, what's-her-name has."

"But you don't want to actually be friends with them?"

"I don't know. The only reason they're talking to me is because they want to know what I can bring to the battlefield, why shouldn't I feel the same about them?"

"I'm sure it's more than that."

"Oh no? As soon as I get back, they go straight to asking me for my help, you're the only one who bothered to ask me about my journey." Aurelia said.

"They're not the politest people you'll meet, but I think they're good people. And since we're on the subject, how was High Hrothgar?"

Aurelia's face lit up "High Hrothgar was amazing! What they can do is amazing. And they answered so many of my questions. Remember at Dustman's Cairn when I couldn't use that new Shout I just learned? It turns out, I need dragon souls to learn Shouts, because when I absorb their souls, I absorb their knowledge. And I can only learn one word per soul. But when the Greybeards teach me shouts, they can gift their knowledge to me without needing to use a soul. They taught me a new shout called 'Whirlwind Sprint' that does exactly what you think it would. Oh, and apparently you can add words to shouts to make them stronger, and they taught me another word for my force shout! I'll have to show you sometime. And then, they sent me on some sort of trial. I'm supposed to receive the horn of Jurgen Windcaller, their founder. Shouldn't be too hard, expecially with Torvar, Athis and Ria with me. But enough about me, you said in your letter that you and Vilkas were fighting?"

Farkas looked down "Yeah."

"What happened?"

As Farkas recalled the conversation that occurred between himself and Vilkas (certain details left out, of course) Aurelia was silently fuming.

"Tell me, where do you think Vilkas is now?" Aurelia said, trying to keep her tone even.

"Probably in his room, why?"

Aurelia's hands slammed on the table before abruptly standing up and storming down the stairs to the living area. Farkas nervously followed her. This couldn't be good. Aurelia marched right into Vilkas's room where she found him reading a book.

"You really are a piece of shit, you know that?"

Vilkas's anger was initially cold from the shock, but it didn't take long to heat up "You really have some nerve, whelp. Every time I think you can't infuriate me more, you find some way to top it. Now tell me, what has possessed you to come barging into my private quarters and scream obscenities at me?"

"Because you _are_ an obscenity! Look, I don't give a fuck what you think about me, but Farkas deserves better than this. He deserves a brother who has confidence in him and he deserves a brother who can be happy for him even if he isn't living under your thumb!"

"What in Oblivion are you talking about?"

"The reason you two aren't talking is because you're angry that he has thoughts of his own, am I wrong?"

"You couldn't be more wrong! Look, my brother's brains are not his strong suit…"

Aurelia slapped him in the face. If looks could wound, Vilkas's would have left Aurelia bruised, but she didn't back down.

"I am so sick of you and everyone else saying things like that! He isn't dumb! He just thinks differently."

Vilkas's glare somehow intensified as he got up and towered over her. Aurelia gulped, but stood her ground "You should never hit someone, whelp, unless you're prepared from them to hit you back."

Farkas, who had been watching helplessly, finally took this opportunity to force himself between them "Stop it! Both of you!"

"You know, if you two want to scream at each other, that's your business, but I would appreciate it if you did it somewhere else."

The sound of Kodlak's voice instantly restrained both Vilkas and Aurelia.

"I'm sorry, Kodlak, I didn't mean to disturb you, I was just going home." Aurelia stormed off in the direction of the stairs.

Kodlak and Vilkas watched her go, but Farkas followed after her.

"But you already are home, Aurelia."

"I bought Breezehome." Her tone was still hard, even though he wasn't the one she was angry at.

"You didn't get it just to get away from Vilkas, did you?" he said in a hushed tone, even though he was fairly certain they had gotten far enough away that Vilkas wouldn't have heard them.

"Of course not."

"Then why? Aren't you happy here?"

She had just started ascending the stairs when she turned to him, her gaze softened at his innocent question. "I'm not unhappy, but I think I'd be happier with my own space. You have your own room here, I don't."

"I suppose." He was relieved that she seemed to have calmed down, but he had to get something off his chest, so he continued to follow her out the doors of Jorrvaskr. "You know, you didn't have to do that."

"Do what?" Aurelia said as the crackling magicka in her hand was thrown up into the air in the form of a light orb that hovered around her head. She probably could have found her way home without it, but with everything going on, she figured she couldn't be too careful.

"You didn't have to yell at Vilkas like that. Or hit him for calling me dumb."

"I don't like the way he treats you, Farkas, I don't like the way he treats me, and I don't like the way he thinks he's better than everyone. It may have been more for my sake than yours, to be honest."

"He isn't a bad person, really. It's just… the beast blood makes him suffer."

Aurelia turned to him curiously "Oh?"

"Yeah, Vilkas has been trying to refrain from using his beast form. So have I. Of course, I'll use it for emergency situations, like at Dustman's Cairn, but Kodlak says it's bad for the soul, and I trust him. But I know it's harder on Vilkas than it is for me. I wish there was something I could do for him."

Aurelia was silent for a moment. She never thought about it, but she supposed having a wolf spirit live inside you could be taxing, especially if you were trying to suppress it. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"You obviously care for your brother a great deal, and here I am making his life, and by extension your life, more difficult when he already has enough to worry about."

"It's ok, you didn't know and he would never tell you. In fact, he probably won't be too happy with me for telling you."

Aurelia chuckled "You're probably right."

"And um, even though you think it was just for yourself, you did stand up for me, so thanks. It meant a lot to me."

They came to a stop in front of the door to Breezehome. It had been a fairly chilly night, but the blush in her cheeks made her entire body feel warm. Farkas wasn't a particularly eloquent man, so why did his words have this effect on her? Maybe it was the way he was smiling at her.

"Sheesh, you almost make me feel like a good person." She laughed to shake away the awkwardness she was feeling as she inserted the keys "Well, I think I'm going to retire for the night. Thanks for walking home with me. I'd invite you in, but I haven't had the chance to clean or furnish it since buying it."

"Maybe another time then."

"Of course, good night."

/

Vilkas knocked on Kodlak's door. "Harbinger? May I speak with you?"

"Of course, my door is always open to you."

He went inside and sat down. Kodlak regarded him patiently as Vilkas struggled to find the right words.

"So you heard the argument between me and Aurelia the other night." He finally said.

"It was a little difficult to ignore."

Vilkas hesitated "Is she right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Can I only be happy if Farkas is under my thumb?" he spoke slowly with traces of fear and guilt in his voice.

"It's not that black and white. For many years, he was content to simply do as he was told. And now that you two finally disagree on something, neither of you know how to handle it. That's understandable."

"It's more than that. She said that he isn't stupid, he just thinks differently. Was I wrong to think he was all these years?"

"Aurelia views him as intelligent because he has something that she lacks. You both see him differently, therefore you will both encourage his happiness in different ways. It doesn't mean either of you care about him any less. In the end, it is Farkas who must decide what makes him happy."

Vilkas nodded slowly "I am sorry about the scene we caused yesterday."

To his surprise, Kodlak laughed "When she first came here, I knew you two would clash. You're both so proud and headstrong. But if I were you, I'd find some way to get along with her. Odds are, she'll be more than just a shield-sister to you."

"What do you mean by that?" Vilkas said, even though he was pretty sure he already knew what the answer was.

"A sister-in-law, of course. Don't tell me you haven't noticed."

Vilkas sighed "I noticed, I was just hoping it wasn't that."

Kodlak's laugh was more subdued this time. "Perhaps you two can find common ground in the fact that you both deeply care for Farkas."

A hint of a smile briefly caught Vilkas's lips "Perhaps. Thank you for your counsel, Harbinger."

"Any time, my boy."

Vilkas put his hand on the door handle but stopped.

"There is one more thing I've been meaning to ask you. When she first came here, you said you were going to ask her to help us find a cure for lycanthropy. She knows our secret now, why haven't you asked her yet?"

"It's hard to catch her. She leaves as quickly as she comes. You know, you could ask for her help too, if you get the chance."

Vilkas stiffened. He was not yet a point that the thought of asking her for help didn't repulse him.

"I'll think about it." Was all he managed to say before walking out the door.

/

Aurelia had been so preoccupied with her confusing feelings for both Farkas and Vilkas (although confusing for different reasons) that she forgot to feel nervous about her day out with Lydia. Lydia didn't have a horse, and Aurelia wouldn't feel right riding while Lydia walked. So they decided to walk together. It wasn't long before Aurelia could no longer stand the awkward silence.

"So, you like swords?"

"Pardon me?"

"Um, I'm not trying to make small talk, I just want to make sure you're well equipped. I'm sure there will be some loot, and I just want to know what to look for, if you want a new blade, that is."

"Oh, well I can use just about anything you put in my hands."

"Oh, ok, that's good. Well, if you see something you like, let me know."

"I can do that."

And they were back to an awkward silence. Aurelia bit her lip in frustration. Maybe she should just say exactly what's on her mind.

"Hey, Lydia, if I'm doing something wrong, you will tell me, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I've never had a subordinate, so I don't know how it works." Her words were rushed and clumsy "I don't even know if you want to be out here right now. Most people don't like being around me, that's why I haven't seen you much. But then I thought maybe it was rude that I wasn't spending time with you at all. No matter what I do it feels wrong and I want to make sure you're happy, but I don't know if you will tell me if you're not happy because you're supposed to do as I say. So I guess, what I'm saying is, please always be honest with me."

Lydia's expression was unreadable, not that Aurelia could have deciphered it anyway. Her palms sweat as she wondered if she said something she shouldn't have.

"I can do that." Lydia finally said.

Although not really satisfied, Aurelia's apprehension morphed into focus when she spied the fenced in encampment in the distance that could only be Halted Stream Camp.

"How are you at stealth?" Aurelia said.

"Honestly, not very good."

"That's fine, I'll scout, you stay here."

Aurelia hid herself among the grasses and crept closer. There was an archer that was keeping watch on top of some sort of elevated structure within and an opening in the fence that could only be the entrance. It didn't take long for a strategy to form. She crept back to Lydia.

"I'm going to cast a fire rune just in front of the entrance. Then I'm going to snipe that archer. As soon as I do, I want you to ambush whoever comes out of the camp, after they've activated the rune, of course. Can you handle that?"

A single determined nod was all Lydia gave her and all Aurelia needed.

Aurelia crept forward once again, set the rune and then watched the archer. She drew her bow and took careful aim. The shot was easy, as the archer was stationary, and the arrow flew straight into the eye. It didn't take long for the rest of the camp to notice their lookout was slain and panic. As predicted, as soon as they spotted Lydia assailing them, they rushed forward and activated the trap. It wasn't difficult for Lydia to take them out amidst the fiery chaos, but Aurelia crept along the wall and stuck her sword in the last on standing.

"That went well." Lydia said.

"Yes, but we're not done yet. None of these were the chief. Probably down in that mine."

Aurelia slowly opened the door to the mine and peeked in. She spotted a bandit mining some ore further down the tunnel. She held up a hand to stop Lydia and then she drew her bow. The arrow hit, but didn't take him down. She gritted her teeth in frustration, but before she could even redraw her bow, another arrow from just behind her flew past her head and finished the job.

"I can shoot too, you know."

"Good to know. Thanks."

Aurelia resumed her lead and crept cautiously forward, and Lydia followed several steps behind her. They descended deeper into the mine until they heard voices. Aurelia held up a hand to halt Lydia. She snuck closer with an arrow knocked. There was a large cavern before her, but her view was obscured by wooden structures. But she didn't need to get closer. She heard two distinct voices beneath her and could see the chief on a platform on the far left. She snuck back to Lydia.

"There's three down there, the chief among them. If I take out the two below, do you think you can handle the chief? Assuming he hasn't moved, you should have a clear shot with a bow. If that doesn't kill him, I'll leave you in charge of finishing him off." Aurelia whispered. She had glimpsed Lydia's skill at one on one combat, and it was more impressive than her own.

Before descending, Aurelia coated her blade in a "weakness to magic" potion. Lydia followed closely behind with an arrow knocked. Lydia aimed at the chief, and Aurelia gave her a quick nod before Lydia released it. As soon as the arrow left the string, Aurelia set her frost rune at the head of the wooden stairs.

"What was that?"

The sound of the spell alerted the two below just before the chief cried out in pain. Lydia jumped off the scaffolding and ran towards the chief with her shield before her and her blade raised. Aurelia would have laughed at her forthright approach if she didn't have her own foes to concentrate on. As soon as the rune activated she lunged forward and swung her sword at both of them. They were clumsy hits, and the wounds they inflicted were shallow, but they were all she needed to get the poison in. She jumped back and they were too stiff with frost to adequately chase her down. With two quick bursts of lightning, they were dead on the floor. She looked over to see that Lydia was also successful.

"Absolutely brilliant, Lydia, I knew you could do it!"

"You're quite impressive yourself."

"Thanks. Well, let's see what we can find here."

As one would predict, there was a great deal of iron ore to be scavenged, a few scraps of food, a few good blades and gold. Most curiously, there was a spell tome that taught "transmute" which could turn iron to silver and silver to gold. So that's why they decided to set up in an iron mine of all places. Aurelia had to admit, that was pretty clever for bandits. As they continued scavenging, Aurelia spoke up.

"Hey, I just thought of something. The bounty was for the chief. Since you killed the chief, you should get the reward."

Lydia's eyes widened "Oh no, I would never be so presumptuous."

"It's ok. You've earned it. Besides, I've got money coming in from a couple jobs with the Companions."

"If… If you insist." Lydia watched her wordlessly for a moment before speaking again. "I have a confession to make, if you'd like to hear it. You did say you wanted me to be honest with you."

"Ok." Aurelia said slowly

"When I first found out that I was sworn to an Imperial, I got a little disheartened. But you're pretty much the opposite of what I expected."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. My parents always said I'm not charming enough to be an Imperial. My dad even joked that my real father must have been a Nord. Er, no offense."

Lydia chuckled "That's not what I mean. It's just that, well, no offense, but most Imperials I meet are pompous, selfish and obsessed with money. You're pretty much the opposite of all that."

"Oh, I'm not sure about that. I'm pretty pompous. I usually assume I'm smarter than everyone I meet."

"But the fact that you admit it means you're not pompous." Lydia said with a smirk.

Aurelia pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow "You've presented me with quite a paradox."

Lydia laughed "You do fight like an Imperial though."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, you know, Nords like to be straight-forward with these kinds of things, your approach is definitely more indirect and calculated."

"It's called strategizing and it has kept me alive all these years."

"I didn't mean it as an insult, in fact, it's very impressive."

"Oh, well thanks. Come on, let's go get Amren's family sword."

And somehow, another friendship was born.


	8. Chapter 8

Aurelia, Ria, Athis and Torvar left for Falkreath on Morndas morning and arrived that Morndas evening. They decided to start at Knifepoint Ridge and work their way back up to Whiterun, hitting Secunda's Kiss along the way. All in all, the journey was uneventful. They amused themselves in idle chatter, occasional wolf attacks and Aurelia would insist on stopping to search for ingredients every now and then. To her surprise, they didn't seem to mind. Although it was probably because it gave them a chance to get off their horses and stretch their legs. Still, she was grateful for it.

The foursome spent the night at Dead Man's Drink and set off for Knifepoint Ridge the next morning. After a few hours of hiking, Aurelia stopped them just before a large rocky hill.

"According to my map, Knifepoint Ridge should be just up that hill. Hm, this is going to be hard to scout." Aurelia said.

"Then let's not scout, let's just charge in there." Torvar said.

"I'm sure I can find some way to…"

"Just relax, Rey, there's four of us."

"And we don't know how many of them there are."

"You said so yourself that it would be hard to scout, so let's just go in there and see what happens."

Aurelia hesitated. "Fine, we'll do it your way this time, but when we go to Secunda's Kiss, I insist you let me scout and plan first."

Torvar rolled his eyes but readied his sword and shield and started ascending the hill. The rest of the party followed suit (except Aurelia had a ward spell instead of a shield). Though she walked cautiously, her apprehension hurried her steps and brought her to the head of the line. Her attention snapped forward when she heard a crash further uphill.

"What was that?"

Aurelia was the first the see the boulders cascading down the hill.

"Take cover!" Aurelia sprinted out of the path of the tumbling rocks.

Torvar, being the second to see them, dashed to the other side, before charging further up the hill. Aurelia readied a healing spell in her left hand and watched Ria and Athis as the boulders went straight for them. Ria managed to dodge the rocks before joining Torvar, but Athis lost his footing and the falling rocks pummeled him downhill.

"Go on ahead!" Aurelia shouted to Ria and Torvar.

Aurelia dashed down the hill to Athis. When the boulders passed him and crashed at the bottom of the hill, Athis lay in a battered heap. She cast a healing spell on him as she wrenched him back up.

"We need to move now!"

"I owe you one." Athis said as he regathered himself and followed Aurelia back up the hill.

Torvar was locked in combat with a sword and shield wielder and Ria was going toe to toe with a dual-wielder. Athis took out his bow and fired at the bandit coming after Torvar from behind. That meant the last one who was unarmed was for her. Wait, unarmed? That could only mean…

A firebolt erupted from the hand of the unarmed bandit and struck Ria in the back. Aurelia promptly switched her healing spell to a lightning bolt and struck the mage. Odd, not many bandit mages. She dared a quick glance at how her shield-siblings faring. Her companions were clearly more skilled than the bandits, which wasn't surprising, but still a relief to see. Torvar had just successfully slain his foe and was preparing to back up Ria after her injury. She turned her attention back to the mage as he turned his attention to her as well. Anticipating this, Aurelia brought up a ward just in time to catch the firebolt he flung at her. She lunged the last few steps and slammed her sword in his neck. She turned to see that her Companions had finished off their foes as well. Aurelia reached into her bag and pulled out a healing potion and tossed it to Ria.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah, thanks." Ria said just before downing it.

"Athis? Torvar? Do you need any potions?"

"I'll take a stamina potion, if you have one." Torvar said.

She tossed one to him. "There's bound to be more, let's not delay, it's best if we find them before they find us."

With drawn weapons and darting eyes, the foursome moved further into the camp. As the hill they were ascending plateaued, an arrow came flying at them. Ria brought up her shield to block it. Torvar and Athis noticed another bandit on this hilltop and decided to assail her while Aurelia drew her bow and ducked behind Ria.

"Keep your shield up!"

Aurelia was unable to see what the archer was doing, but that was fine. When she heard the ping of the arrow bouncing off the shield, she emerged from her cover and fired her bow at the archer while he was still reloading.

"Finish him!" Aurelia gave Ria a nudge forward and she charged forward and stuck her sword into him while he was still recovering from his wound from Aurelia. Athis and Torvar had proven successful as well.

"Is that all of them?" Torvar said.

The others looked around, weapons still ready.

"Over there, there's an entrance to a mine. I'm sure there's more in there." Athis said.

"I think you're right." Ria said.

"Well then, let's not waste any time." Aurelia said

Aurelia inadvertently took the lead as Ria and Athis fell behind her. Although they had yet to say so, they both had been completely won over by her cunning and courage. While this went mostly unnoticed by her as she was more focused on clearing out the mine, it did not go unnoticed by Torvar.

The rest of the mission went off without a hitch and they were back at Dead Man's Drink by evening. After a good meal and a cold drink, they retired to their rooms, Aurelia and Ria to one, and Torvar and Athis to another. As much as Torvar's exhaustion pushed him towards sleep, his thoughts pulled him back.

"Do you think they'll make Rey a member of the Circle?"

"How should I know?" Athis grumbled from his bed.

"I mean, I thought she had no chance, being a mage and all, but now, I don't know."

"Why do you care if she does or not?"

"Wouldn't you be embarrassed if she was made a member of the Circle before you, even though she started later?"

"If the Circle believes she will be a good addition to their ranks, I will trust their judgement."

Torvar rolled his eyes and muttered "Kiss-ass."

"Whatever, just go to sleep, you jealous oaf."

/

Aurelia was insistent that they let her scout out the camp this time. She returned to her Companions who were waiting a safe distance away about fifteen minutes later.

"Ok, I got a good look at what we're dealing with, and I have a plan."

"Who made you the leader?" Torvar said.

Aurelia frowned at him "Do you have a plan?"

"We don't need a plan. We didn't have one yesterday and we did okay." Torvar said.

"I nearly got crushed to death by rocks yesterday!" Athis said.

"Athis is right, what did you have in mind, Rey?"

Aurelia motioned for them to follow her. Torvar grunted in displeasure, but complied. Fortunately, it wasn't hard for even the unschooled in stealth to hide from giants.

"Ok, there are two giants in this camp." Aurelia spoke in a hushed tone "I'm going to cast a fire rune right over there. See that rocky outcrop over there? Torvar, I want you to go over there. Athis, Ria, you stay down here with me. I'm going to put a 'weakness to fire' poison on my arrow and shoot at the one lurking around the camp. Once it spots me, it will charge us and set off the fire rune. Torvar, this arrow also has a 'weakness to fire' poison on it, and as soon as you see the fire rune activate, I want you to fire this arrow at the giant in the distance. After it hits, take out your shield and blade and run back down here. By then, Ria will likely be taking on the giant, I want you to back her up. Now Athis, while all this is happening, you and I will be taking down the giant in the distance. I will go up to the outcrop and hurl firebolts at it while you run after it and then cut it to pieces. It should be too preoccupied with my firebolts to even notice you, but if it does, well, you're very quick and nimble, so I trust you can avoid getting hit. I think that should cover everything. Any questions?" Aurelia said.

They shook their heads.

"Ok, then let's get into position."

Torvar snuck behind the outcrop and peaked over the edge. Aurelia cast her fire rune and then crept forward with her bow knocked and watched the camp. Patience was a virtue that she had finely cultivated, and she did not mind waiting until the giants were in ideal positions. Torvar's patience, however, was as thin as paper and got increasingly thinner as minutes went by. Should have known better than to trust her. When five minutes had gone by and she still hadn't fired her arrow, he decided he was now in charge of the operation and let his arrow fly.

The cry of pain from the giant in the distance alerted the one near the camp of their presence and spotted Aurelia almost instantly and came barreling towards her. By the time she had her bow ready, the giant was already one step from the rune. She released her arrow, but it was too late. She dashed out of the way and towards the outcrop as the fire rune exploded. The damage was not nearly as substantial as she would have hoped without the poison, but what was done was done. She would just have to trust that Ria and Torvar could handle it, although she had very little trust for the latter at the moment. At least he was listening to the second part of her instructions, for he went down to join Ria.

Aurelia positioned herself on the top of the outcrop and started hurling firebolts at the giant in the distance. The giant lumbered aggressively towards her. As she predicted, it was so enraged that it failed to notice the Dunmer racing up to it. Perhaps this would turn out well after all.

Her stomach clenched when she heard a scream, Ria's scream. She looked over just in time to see Ria crash into the ground several feet away from the giant. Torvar looked distraught, but he kept fighting.

"Keep going, Athis!" Aurelia bellowed as she remarked his hesitance. She was running low on magicka and she needed to make sure the threats were gone before Ria could be properly attended to. With some speedy and well-placed jabs from Athis, and some enraged and powerful strikes from Torvar, the two giants were slain. But none of them had time to celebrate as they all ran over to Ria's crumpled body. Her breathing was labored, but at least she was breathing.

"Are you alright, can you move?" Aurelia said as she rummaged for a healing potion.

"I think I've broken a few ribs. And my arm." Ria groaned.

Aurelia gingerly took off her helmet and lifted her head up so she could give her the potion. "Here, take this for the pain. But you still need proper medical attention, and I'm not really the best healer. Torvar!"

Aurelia was about to let loose on him, but the expression on his face told her she didn't have to. He looked sick with guilt, and he looked like he was ready to receive whatever wrath Aurelia had prepared for him.

"Torvar," she said again, but more gently this time "Go get the horses and bring them up here. I'll keep tending to her as best I can."

Torvar left without another word. Aurelia and Athis tended to Ria as best they could until Torvar arrived with the horses. The trip back to Whiterun was uncomfortably long.

"I'm sorry." Torvar said after the silence became too grating.

"Why did you do it?" Aurelia said coldly.

"I…I got impatient. I didn't think this would happen, I've never needed a plan before. I thought I would be strong enough to handle it."

"What good is strength if I can't trust you?" the words that Farkas had used on her a month ago cut deeply coming out of her own mouth.

For a moment, the only sound that could be heard was Ria's pained groaning.

"Yeah." Torvar said quietly.

"Let's go." Aurelia said just as quietly.

The continued silence left Aurelia to stew in her thoughts. Maybe this was partly her fault. Maybe she should have done things differently.

When they finally returned to Whiterun, they took Ria to the temple of Kynareth so she could get some proper medical treatment and the rest returned to Jorrvaskr to report on their success. Aurelia was just about to head to Breezehome when Torvar approached her.

"Hey, Rey, I know I said I'd accompany you to Ustengrav, but I think I should stay and make sure Ria is okay." Torvar said.

"That sounds like a good idea." Aurelia said "Hey, Torvar? I've been doing some thinking and I'm sorry."

Torvar blinked "What?"

"I didn't ask if you were okay with the plan. I just expected you to go along with it. I should know this better than anyone, I hate being bossed around myself. But I honestly wasn't trying to boss anyone around, I was just trying to strategize because, well, I know I'm good at it."

"You _are_ good at it. If I had listened to you, Ria would probably not be at the temple right now."

Aurelia shrugged "What's done is done. She'll be fine, she's a tough woman. I guess we'll both have to do better next time."

Torvar quirked a smile "Yeah. Good luck on your journey, my friend."

/

After a good rest in her home (Lydia spent most of her reward money on furnishing the house, Divines bless that woman) she and Athis left for Ustengrav. As she expected, Ustengrav was another draugr-infested tomb. She felt well accustomed to fighting draugr by now, but she was still happy that Athis decided to come with her. Come to think of it, she couldn't think of a better partner. With his resistance to fire and the draugr's weakness to it, the flames flew freely from Aurelia's hands and they encountered little trouble. That is, until they reached the final chamber where they found a note instead of the object they were looking for.

"What do you think they want with you? Athis said as he read the note over her shoulder.

Her mind immediately went to the cultists who had tried to kill her earlier. But on the other hand, the cultists knew her name, this note was addressed her by title. And it was signed "A Friend" and those cultists made it clear they weren't her friend.

"I don't even know where to begin to guess. I suppose the only way to find out is to go to Riverwood and see what happens."

/

When Aurelia and Athis returned to Whiterun, they went straight to the temple to check on Ria. Her arm and torso were wrapped, but she was sitting up and smiled brightly at them when they walked in.

"Oh, hey guys! How did the mission go?" Ria said, sounding chipper as ever.

"Um, well things turned out to be more complicated than was originally anticipated, but we're both alive and well. Anyway, you're looking like you're healing nicely!" Aurelia said.

"You know, I've never been interested in magic much myself, but I gotta say, it works wonders in medicine. They say I should be able to swing a blade again in less than a week!"

"Ria, I'm so sorry about this." Aurelia said.

"Don't be! When you live this kind of life, these things are bound to happen. I hope you didn't go too hard on Torvar. I mean, yeah I wanted to wring his neck, but he's been helping the priests look after me. Although since I'm recovering so well, they don't really need him that much. He's probably training back at Jorrvaskr now. That, or drinking."

Athis and Aurelia both chuckled.

"We've made amends." Aurelia said.

"That's good. So what happened at Ustengrav?"

"The horn was already taken, and whoever took it wants me to meet them in Riverwood. I'm leaving tomorrow."

"Be careful. I'd offer to come with you, just in case it was a trap or something, but…"

"I've already offered." Athis said.

"Yeah, but the way whoever it was is going about it, they probably want me to come alone. Thanks though, both of you."

"Hey, what are shield-siblings for?" Ria said.

"It really does mean a lot. Well, I'm going to head back to Jorrvaskr for a bit. Glad to see you're doing well, Ria." And Aurelia turned away before either of them could see how pink her cheeks were getting.

She decided she'd like to see Farkas and catch him up before returning home. But she didn't find him anywhere within the walls, maybe he was in the training yard? It was late afternoon, plenty of time for training. But she only found Vilkas there practicing against the training dummies.

"Um, hi Vilkas, is Farkas around?"

"No, he's somewhere in Haafingar on a job with Njada." He said between swings.

"Oh, ok. I'll be on my way then." She turned, took a few steps and then stopped. She didn't know if her next words would mean anything to him, but she wanted to say them anyway. When he had taken a momentary break from his swings, she spoke quickly "Vilkas, I'm sorry about our fight. I shouldn't have called you a piece of shit, and I shouldn't have hit you."

He turned to her and searched her face. He found no traces of sarcasm. Apprehension and self-consciousness were there, maybe, but sincerity as well. "I suppose I could have been nicer to you as well."

This was probably the closest she'd ever get to an apology from him. "Ok, well, if Farkas isn't here, I'll be going then. I have to be in Riverwood tomorrow."

"Aurelia wait." Vilkas sheathed his sword and then turned to her "Before you disappear again, there's something I've been wanting to talk to you about."

"Yes?"

Vilkas made his way to the outdoor tables and sat down, Aurelia followed him.

"It's about Kodlak. Are you aware of how the Circle came to be werewolves?"

She shook her head.

"Long ago, one of our harbingers entered into an agreement with some hagraven witches. They promised us power, which we did receive as werewolves, but at a price. What they didn't tell us was that in doing so, our souls would be bound to Hircine and we would end up in his Hunting Grounds upon death. Kodlak doesn't want this, he wants to go to Sovngarde. So, what I'm asking of you is…"

"You! You're Aurelia Ventus, the false Dragonborn?"

Aurelia had been so enraptured by Vilkas's story that she failed to notice the three cultists approaching them.

"Oh gods damn it, not you guys again!"

"Again? You know them?" Vilkas said.

The cultist readied a flame spell "Do not dismiss us so easily! We will wipe your lies from the face of Nirn!"

Aurelia attacked with a lighning bolt before grabbing a steak knife and ducking under the table. A sharp cry of pain indicated to Vilkas that she had successfully stabbed him.

Vilkas got up and unsheathed his sword. He swung at them while Aurelia shot spells at them from under the table. He was feeling very grateful that he decided to train with his armor on. When they were slain, he was a little singed, but otherwise fine.

"Miraak really needs to send smarter cultists. What were they thinking? Attacking me out in public like this. It didn't work last time either." Aurelia said as she crawled out from under the table.

"Last time? Who is Miraak?" Vilkas said.

"No idea, but apparently he wants me killed."

"Do you have any leads?"

"I know he's in Solsteim."

Vilkas's eyebrow twitched "Then why haven't you gone?"

"I really didn't think he'd be this persistent."

"Really? You didn't think that someone who wants you dead would be persistent?"

"When you say it like that, it sounds stupid."

"It is stupid! Do you realize that you're not just putting yourself in danger, but everyone close to you?" Vilkas promised himself he would try to be nicer to her, but by the Nine, she wasn't making it easy.

Guilt flickered across her face "Look, as soon as I finish my business in Riverwood, I'll go to Solsteim and see what this is all about."

Vilkas's features softened "Would you like someone to accompany you?"

Aurelia shrugged "I wouldn't ask it of anyone. This is my problem, and I have no idea what we'd facing."

"You probably wouldn't even have to ask. You do realize this is what we do as Companions? Ria, Athis and Torvar have become very fond of you as of late. And I don't think I have to remind you how much my brother cares for you."

Heat surged to Aurelia's cheeks. This was probably the nicest thing Vilkas has ever said to her.

"We'll see. Speaking of Farkas, if he returns before I do, you can tell him what's going on. I don't want him to think I was keeping this from him. Which I wasn't. I honestly thought they wouldn't come after me again."

Vilkas rolled his eyes "Yes, fine."

"Ok, um, thanks. I'll be going home then."

As Aurelia went home, it occurred to Vilkas that he didn't get a chance to ask for her help finding a cure.


	9. Chapter 9

"Um, hi. I'd like to rent the attic room. Please."

The blonde, middle-aged Breton stopped her sweeping and looked up at her. "Attic room, eh? Well... we don't have an attic room, but you can have the one on the left. Make yourself at home."

Aurelia took a quick glance at the note in her hand "This is the Sleeping Giant Inn, right?"

"It is. Just take the one on the left."

Aurelia furrowed her brow and pursed her lips, but went to the room on the left. She sat down on a wooden chair, and reread the note. In spite of her ineptitude at navigation, she was fairly certain that this was Riverwood and that this was the Sleeping Giant Inn. But before she could wonder what went wrong, the Breton came into her room.

"So you're the Dragonborn I've been hearing so much about. I think you're looking for this." The Breton dropped the horn of Jurgen Windcaller into her hands "We need to talk. Follow me."

"Wait, who are you?" Aurelia hastily stuck the horn in her bag and got up to follow her.

"Not here. Follow me."

Aurelia scowled but kept walking. She grew even more suspicious when the Breton led her into another room and asked her to close the door. And yet, for a reason she couldn't quite put her finger on, she didn't find herself feeling threatened by the woman. Perhaps it was the way she seemed so on edge, as if she was the vulnerable one, not Aurelia. Or perhaps it was because she looked vaguely familiar.

The Breton knocked a false panel out from the back of the closet and descended the stairs that lie beyond. Aurelia followed cautiously to find an entire war room at the bottom.

"The Greybeards seem to think you're the Dragonborn. I hope they're right."

"This is quite an impressive setup you have here. So you're the one who took the horn?"

"Surprised? I guess I'm getting pretty good at my harmless innkeeper act."

"You are aware that all this cloak and dagger is making you look suspicious, are you not?"

"You can't be too careful. Thalmor spies are everywhere."

Aurelia shrugged "Fair enough. There are few now days that don't consider themselves an enemy of the Thalmor. So what do you want?"

"I didn't go to all this trouble on a whim. I needed to make sure it wasn't a Thalmor trap. I'm not your enemy. I already gave you the horn. I'm actually trying to help you. I just need you to hear me out."

"I'm listening."

"I'm part of a group that's been looking for you... well, someone like you, for a very long time. If you really are Dragonborn, that is. Before I tell you any more, I need to make sure I can trust you."

Aurelia raised an eyebrow "How do I know I can trust you?"

"If you don't trust me, you were a fool to walk in here in the first place."

"By that logic, weren't you also a fool to drag me down here, if you don't trust me and have no idea what I'm capable of? You must fancy yourself a hard woman to kill."

The Breton smirked "You have no idea."

"Perhaps we should introduce ourselves. My name is Aurelia Ventus."

"Delphine."

"So why did you take the horn?"

"I knew the Greybeards would send you there if they thought you were Dragonborn. They're nothing if not predictable. When you showed up here, I knew you were the one the Greybeards sent, and not some Thalmor plant."

"So you're looking for the Dragonborn? Why?"

"We remember what most don't - that the Dragonborn is the ultimate dragonslayer. You're the only one that can kill a dragon permanently by devouring its soul. Can you do it? Can you devour a dragon's soul?"

"Yes, that's how I first learned I was Dragonborn."

"Good. And you'll have a chance to prove it to me soon enough."

"Oh?"

"Dragons aren't just coming back, they're coming back to life. They weren't gone somewhere for all these years. They were dead, killed off centuries ago by my predecessors. Now something's happening to bring them back to life. And I need you to help me stop it."

"Coming back to life? Are you serious?"

"I've visited their ancient burial mounds and found them empty. And I've figured out where and when the next one will come back to life. We're going to go there, and you're going to kill that dragon. If we succeed, I'll tell you anything you want to know."

"Ok, where and when?"

"Near Kynesgrove, the eleventh of Sun's Dusk. I was actually afraid you wouldn't show up in time, but it looks like you have a month to spare."

Aurelia regarded the map on the table that Delphine was hovering over "This is impressive, how did you figure all this out?"

Delphine's serious tone turned to amusement "You should know. You got the map for me. The dragonstone you got for Farengar, remember? The dragonstone was a map of ancient dragon burial sites."

"Oh, so that's where I recognize you from."

"I've looked at which ones are now empty. The pattern is pretty clear. It seems to be spreading from the southeast, down in the Jeralls near Riften. The one at Kynesgrove is next if the pattern holds."

"Ok, I have some business to attend to that hopefully shouldn't take more than a month, so I should leave soon. But I'll make sure I'm at Kynesgrove before the eleventh of Sun's Dusk."

"Thank you."

Aurelia turned to leave, but then stopped.

"So you're a Blade then?"

Delphine's eyes bulged "How did you…"

"Well, you weren't exactly hiding it well. You're hiding from the Thalmor, you claimed that your predecessors killed off all the dragons, and you're looking for a Dragonborn. Doesn't take a genius to put the pieces together. The fact that I happen to be a genius is irrelevant."  
"But how did you know all these things? Most people have forgotten about us."

Aurelia laughed "Oh please, I come from the Imperial City, where education is of utmost importance. My history lessons on the Great War were especially thorough, since my parents lived through it. So I'm aware of the Blades' history as well their place in the war. The incident where a Thalmor agent upended a cart full of Blades' heads in front of the Emperor used to give me nightmares as a child."

Aurelia couldn't tell if fear or anger was the dominant expression on Delphine's face.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Especially not the Thalmor. In fact, the Great War is the reason I basically have no extended family left, so my parents definitely hold a grudge and have raised me to despise them as well."

Delphine's expression softened slightly, but still looked guarded "I guess I have no choice but to hold you to that."

/

Since Ivarstead was just on the other side of the Throat of the World from Riverwood, Aurelia figured it would be wise to return the horn to the Greybeards before returning to Whiterun, especially considering she had no idea how long her trip to Solsteim would take.

It was around noon when she reached Ivarstead, plenty of time to stop by Fellstar Farm and say hello. As expected, Boti and Jofthor were still hard at work in the fields, but she didn't see Fastred anywhere.

"Oh, hi Aurelia. I'm really glad you showed up today. I'm sure you're here to go to High Hrothgar, but it would mean a lot if you saw Fastred before you left. Maybe you can cheer her up." Boti said as she looked up from the plant she was crouched in front of.

"Did something happen?"

"Vampires attacked Ivarstead a few days ago. Both Klimmek and Bassianus were killed." Jofthor said.

Aurelia's eyes widened and she clapped a hand to her mouth "Oh gods! How awful!"

"She's inside. She's hardly eaten since then. Maybe you can get her to eat something?" Jofthor said.

"I can certainly try."

She went inside and found Fastred curled up on her bed.

"Aurelia?" she said as she sat up.

"Hey, Fastred," She said gently as she sat down on the bed next to her "I was just visiting on my way to High Hrothgar. I, um, heard about what happened."

Fastred clung to her and wept a torrent of tears. "Oh, gods, I didn't know I could be in this much pain! I didn't want to give up Bassianus, you know. I was hoping I could go on an adventure with you, and then marry him when we were done. I don't know, we never got a chance to talk about it. Oh, and Klimmek! He was such a sweet man, he didn't deserve this!"

Aurelia could think of nothing to say, so she just held Fastred's shuddering body against her own. Aurelia had never grieved before. Of course, she knew people who had died, but there were few people in her life who were close enough to her that their death would have an impact.

"You should eat something, it will help you feel better." Aurelia said after it seemed like Fastred had cried herself out.

"Not hungry."

Aurelia got up and picked up a bowl of porridge that had been left out on the table, no doubt for her "I can even heat it up for you."

Aurelia's hands warmed with magicka-generated fire.

"Still not hungry."

"Come on, if those vampires attack again, you'll need your strength to fight them."

"Hmph, what chance does a human have against vampires?" Fastred took the bowl, but just stared into it.

"Plenty of chance! You've heard of the Dawnguard, right? They're a group dedicated to fighting vampires, I think they're based somewhere near Riften."

"Is that so?" Fastred took a slow bite of the porridge.

"There you go! Don't you feel better now that you have some food in you?"

"I guess so." She took another spoonful.

"Good, good. Listen, I have to go to High Hrothgar before it gets too late, but I'll see you again when I come down, ok?"

Fastred continued eating "Ok."

After telling Boti and Jofthor that she had gotten Fastred to eat, she began her ascent. Her joy of this feat was quickly replaced with a feeling she couldn't quite identify as she was left alone with her thoughts. Fastred had been so lively to the point that she was even a little vexing when she first met her, but to see her in the complete opposite state was far more vexing. Is this what grief does to people? Destroys them to the point that they are unrecognizable? Is this what would happen to her if Lydia, Athis, or Divines forbid, Farkas died? Maybe it was a mistake to let herself get close to so many people. It had only been a little over a month since she came to Skyrim, maybe it wasn't too late. She could leave the Companions, and let Lydia go.

And yet, she knew she wouldn't. It _was_ too late. The thought of never having another drink with Torvar, or another friendly sparring session with Ria gave her more grief than she cared to admit. There was no longer any reason to fear she would change beyond recognition, she already had. She didn't know how to feel about this, because, well, she wasn't unhappy. She had found a new kind of joy in a place that she didn't believe would be possible for her. But what did this mean for her? What should she do, if anything? She came to no conclusions going up to High Hrothgar, and she came to no conclusions going back down either.

When she crossed the bridge to get back into Ivarstead, Jofthor and Boti were waiting for her on the other side.

"Um, hi Boti, Jofthor, you look tense, did something happen?"

"It's Fastred, she… she's run away." Jofthor said, voice slightly cracking.

"W-what?"

"She left this note." Boti handed it to her.

 _I've left to join the Dawnguard. Please don't come after me. I will return home when the vampire problem is dealt with. Mother, Father, Aurelia, I love you all so much. Please stay safe until my return._

 _-Fastred_

"Oh gods. I am so sorry." Aurelia said.

"My dear, you don't have to apologize." Boti said.

"I do. I may have inadvertently put the idea in her head. I just mentioned that the Dawnguard exist. I thought it would give her hope, I… I didn't think she'd… Oh gods, I'm so sorry!" Aurelia's eyes were stinging, and she knew that if she blinked, the tears would release.

Boti's hand landed gently on her shoulder "I don't blame you at all, my dear. Fastred was always looking for an excuse to leave this place. It would have happened sooner or later. But please, if you do come across her in your travels, please look after her."

Aurelia put her hand on top of Boti's and squeezed it "Of course. If it makes you feel better, I've heard that the Dawnguard are actually very good at training new recruits. And since they need strength in numbers, they won't be reckless with her. I'm sure they wouldn't even send her out until she's been trained well enough. I've only trained with her a little bit, but I sincerely think she has potential. All those hours working out here have made her very strong."

"It does help, thank you, Aurelia." Jofthor said.

/

It was nighttime when she arrived back in Whiterun, and her mind was no more at ease than it was that morning. In spite of certain misgivings, she found herself wandering back to Jorrvaskr, hoping Farkas had returned from his job. She knocked on the door to his room and was relieved when he opened the door and greeted her with a smile.

"Aurelia! Come in, sounds like we need to catch up. Vilkas told me you were attacked while I was gone?"

"Yeah, I'll probably be heading to Solsteim tomorrow to deal with it." She took a seat at the table while Farkas looked through his personal bar for an ale to give her "Because now, I have a time limit. I met with the person who took the horn. Turns out she's a Bl- er, she's someone who's trying to stop the dragons, so we're going to work together. She says there's going to be a dragon attack near Kynesgrove on the 11th of Sun's Dusk."

"Sounds intense. Well, I'll go with you to Solsteim and make sure you come back in time." Farkas said as he handed her an ale.

"You don't have to do that."

Farkas sat down across from her "I know."

"Well, if you want to come with, I won't stop you." She said as she stared listlessly at her ale.

"What's wrong?" Farkas said after a slight pause.

"What? Nothing!"

"Aurelia, I can tell something's wrong. You haven't touched your ale. You love ale."

Aurelia sighed "Oh nothing, just having an existential crisis."

Farkas gave her a blank look.

"It means I no longer know who I am or what I want out of life."

He only continued to stare blankly, but curiously at her.

"Never mind, it's stupid anyway."

"No, tell me."

Aurelia bit her lip in thought "If you are sitting in your room reading and someone comes by and locks you in your room. You don't know if they have done it and you are happy where you are. Are you still free?"

"I don't know. What does this have to do with anything?"

"Everything!" Her desperation began leaking through her façade of thoughtful contemplation. "Freedom is the key to my happiness, always has been and it always will be, but I don't know what it means to be free anymore! I read this scenario in a book by a philosopher once and back then, the answer was clear. Of course you weren't free, because what if you changed your mind and decided you didn't want to be in the room reading? But now, it's like, what if I go my whole life without ever wanting to leave?"

But Farkas only continued to stare blankly at her. Aurelia sighed. Farkas was a straightforward kind of man, she should have known she wouldn't get through to him speaking in metaphors. Maybe she should just tell him exactly what was on her mind.

"I just… I'm changing, Farkas, and I don't know if it's a good thing or not. I'm starting to want things I've never wanted before, and I'm afraid wanting these things make me weaker."

He continued to stare at her, but this time with interest and comprehension in his expression. He gave her a nod as if urging her to go on.

"I've always associated freedom with being unattached, that's why I've never had any friends until now. But now I do, I have you, and Lydia, and Fastred and the rest of the Companions. And if something happened to any of you, I'd be weakened. But I've also come to realize that having people at your back also makes you strong. I feel like I'm trapped. If I leave you all, then I will no longer be attached, and I will be free. But then again, I don't want to leave you, and if I'm doing something I don't want to do, then I'm not free. No matter what I think to do, it feels wrong."

There was a small pause between when Aurelia ran out of words and Farkas spoke up.

"Maybe you're thinking too much."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I've never thought much about things like this, and I've never had any problems like this. Maybe you won't find the answer by thinking, maybe you'll find them by just living."

"But when I change so drastically in such a short time, it's impossible not to take notice."

"I know, I'm not telling you not to notice it, I just think things will work themselves out if you don't worry about it. And you know, maybe you're not really changing, maybe you're just discovering a part of yourself that you never knew was there before. Think of it as an adventure. You like adventures, don't you?"

There was another pause before it was broken by Aurelia's soft giggling that eventually morphed into full-blown laughter. Farkas looked embarrassed, and when Aurelia noticed this, she spoke.

"You really are amazing, you know that, Farkas? You see things so much differently than I do. It makes me feel safe, like if my head's in a fog, you'll be able to make sure I'm going the right way."

Farkas smiled warmly at her. Even if she was speaking in metaphors again, it was clear she appreciated him and that was a good feeling. "So, are you feeling better then?"

She smiled back at him "I suppose. I guess I'll accept this change for what it is. An adventure into myself it will be then. Wherever this new life takes me, it can't be that bad, can it? After all, it led me to you."

Farkas's face went hot at her words. "Uh huh." He managed to get out.

Aurelia, who was aware of his blushing, said "Er, um, I should head home now. We have a long day of travel tomorrow. I'll be back here at 8 in the morning, ok? You can tell me how your last job went on the trip, ok?"

"Ok, tomorrow then."

Aurelia walked out the door and started heading back to Breezehome. Her own face went hot at her words as well. She had never spoken to someone like that before. But then again, she had never felt about anyone the way she did about Farkas. Could it be she was falling for him? The thought almost made her stop dead in her tracks. Naw, it couldn't be possible. She already tried a romance once, and it failed miserably. There's no way she could be happy with a romance. Then again, she also believed she couldn't be happy with friendship, and she turned out to be wrong on that account. Who knew what her heart was capable of? But for her own sanity, she decided to discard these thoughts for the time being.


	10. Chapter 10

If Farkas was feeling awkward about their conversation last night, he showed no signs of it. It took a full day's travel to make it to Windhelm and they spent it in easy conversation. He told her all about his job with Njada. He went on about how he would have much preferred her over Njada. The woman could fight, there was no doubt about it, but she wasn't as pleasant company. Aurelia confided her concerns for Fastred. She wondered aloud whether or not she should have gone after her. She initially reasoned that she should respect her wishes and leave her be. After all, since she valued personal freedom so much herself, she'd be a hypocrite not to respect someone else's. But now she was wondering if it was selfish not to. Farkas reassured her that although Fastred was young, she was old enough to make her own decisions. Besides, Aurelia had her own duties to worry about. She was still amazed at how easily he could set her mind at ease. Well, not completely at ease, as she still worried about Fastred, but there was nothing he could do about that. She was also beginning to feel more at ease about her feelings for him. Their relationship was perfect as it was, a romance was completely unnecessary.

It was evening when they arrived in Windhelm and Aurelia was very much looking forward to a hot meal and a cold ale. As soon as they entered Candlehearth Hall, a blonde Nord woman in a green tavern dress ran up to Farkas and threw her arms around him.

"Farkas! It's been so long since you paid a visit to Windhelm! I've missed you!"

"Um, hi Susanna." He said as he shifted awkwardly.

Aurelia's stomach lurched uncomfortably as she watched him twirl a strand of his hair with her finger.

"So what brings you to Windhelm this time? Another Companion job?" Susanna leaned in close in an attempt to be discreet, but Aurelia could hear every word "Oh, and you can share a room with me if you want, like you have in the past."

"Actually it's personal, my shield-sister here needs to go to Solsteim." Farkas said as he gently pushed her off of him.

Susanna perked an eyebrow at Aurelia "Oh, hello, I'm Susanna, a friend of Farkas."

"Pleasure. Well, I'm tired. I'm going to get my room and retire for the night. Have fun, you two." She said with a smile, but her voice was cold. She quickly walked away.

Farkas wanted to stop her and tell her it wasn't like that, but well, it was. He and Susanna had shared a bed a couple times in the past, but it was nothing serious.

"Oh, sorry Farkas, I didn't realize you had a woman now."

"It's not like that."

Susanna glanced at Aurelia as she paid for her room and hurried off. "Hm, seems like she wants to be your woman though."

Farkas' cheeks turned red "Oh, I don't know about that" and yet the sweet things she said to him in the past lurked in his mind.

"Well, she certainly didn't like me touching you. How do you feel about her?"

The redness on Farkas' cheeks spread to the rest of his face "I don't know, we're just shield-siblings. I should go catch up with her."

He turned and went after Aurelia before he could notice the amused look Susanna was giving him. He caught up with her just as she was inserting the key into her door. "So, this is our room?" he said awkwardly.

"This is _my_ room." Aurelia said, trying to keep the discomfort from her voice.

"We're not sharing one?"

"No, that would be weird. I don't want to get changed in front of you. Besides, I think I'll enjoy a bit of privacy. I'm sure you need some time alone with Susanna too."

"But I'd rather be alone with you."

The implications of what he was saying hit both of them at once and both faces turned scarlet.

"Um, I just mean…"

"You know, it occurred to me that I've barely touched those books that my parents sent me on draugr. I'd like some quiet time to myself to read them, if you don't mind."

"If that's what you want. I'll see you tomorrow."

As soon as the door closed behind her, Aurelia threw herself on the bed and screamed into her pillow. What in Oblivion was wrong with her? She had no reason to be feeling like this. It was no business of hers who Farkas slept with. She had slept with her fair share of men herself and she had no right to judge. So why did it bother her so much? She tried to think of a million excuses, but deep down, she knew of only one thing it could be; Jealousy. When she came upon that revelation, she screamed even harder into her pillow. She had just decided that their relationship was perfect and wanting romance was pointless. Not that it mattered what she wanted, she doubted Farkas had romantic feelings towards her. Just because the man has shown more interest in her than anyone else, doesn't mean he'd fall for her. She tried to convince herself that she didn't care whether or not Farkas slept with that woman tonight, but images of the two in bed together kept popping into her head. His hard, masculine body pressed against hers, his deep rumbling voice moaning in pleasure, his long dark hair swaying with his thrusts…

Damn it, this was not helping at all! Come to think of it, she hadn't bedded a man in quite awhile. No wonder she was frustrated, she thought as she felt a familiar stirring between her legs. She clamped her thighs together as if that would somehow stop the flow of heat. Maybe all this was just pent up sexual attraction to him. Maybe she wasn't falling for him after all.

Her stomach growled. She sorely regretted going to her room before getting dinner. She opened up her pack. She still had an apple and a bit of dried meat. Since she didn't trust herself to be around Farkas at the moment, she decided to just eat that and replenish her supply in the morning. Eating was a good start, but she needed a more potent distraction. After she finished her food, she took out her books. But she found it hard to even concentrate on the books. She sighed. It was going to be a long night.

Farkas, meanwhile, had dinner by himself before retiring to his own room, all the while contemplating Susanna's question. How did he feel about Aurelia? Whatever his feelings were, they were definitely positive. He liked her almost immediately after meeting her. She had flaws, no doubt, but all things considered, she was interesting, smart, kind and a good warrior. And he couldn't deny he was attracted to her. She was a very beautiful woman. He loved her strong, yet still feminine body, her grey-green eyes that somehow reminded him of both Nirn and the sky, and her dark, bouncing curls that fell to her waist. If he was attracted to her and really liked who she was as a person, did that mean he was in love with her? It wasn't the first time the question popped up since meeting her, but lately it had become more persistent. But what if this wasn't love and just a close friend that he happened to find attractive? He liked Susanna well enough, and found her attractive. He even found Aela and Ria attractive to some degree and of course he loved them as shield-sisters. Yet he never once wondered if he was in love with any of them. He never once thought of marrying or even courting them. So what made Aurelia so different? It was all so confusing, so he decided not to make a move until he was sure of his feelings.

Morning came slowly for both of them. By the time Farkas emerged from his room, Aurelia was already at a table eating breakfast.

"Sleep well?" She said to him as he took a seat next to her.

"No, I never do." He said.

"I suppose Susanna kept you pretty busy" she said coolly.

"I got my own room."

"Oh, ok." She took a sip from her drink.

"Did you sleep well?"

"No, I never do." Aurelia said. "Have you eaten yet? We should get going soon."

"Not yet."

"I'll meet you at the docks then." She put down her fork and promptly left the table.

Gods damn it, she still couldn't face him, even though he spent the night alone. Now he probably thought she was mad at him. She'd have to think of some excuse for her odd behavior. She sure as Oblivion wasn't going to tell him exactly what was on her mind.

Between the time it took for Aurelia to refill her food supply and Farkas to finish his meal, they arrived at the docks at roughly the same time. The boat ride from Windhelm to Solsteim was shorter than the trip from Whiterun to Windhelm, but it felt longer. Instead of being filled with easy conversation, it was filled with an awkward silence that neither one of them knew how to breach. In spite of the awkwardness, Aurelia was very grateful to be sitting so close to a warm-blooded Nord the further north they went. But as always, Aurelia eventually grew tired of the silence.

"It would have been ok you know, if you wanted to sleep with that woman, it's none of my business. It's not like I've never slept with anyone before. I've slept with plenty of men. Well, I mean, not that many. I'm not diseased or anything." Gods damn it, maybe it would have been better if she had just stayed quiet instead.

Farkas looked at her. Why was she saying these things? If she didn't care who he slept with, did that mean that she wasn't interested in him? "I didn't want to."

"Would you have if I wasn't there?"

Farkas thought for a moment. "I don't know." He really didn't.

Aurelia sighed. "See? That means you did want to, and you stopped on my account."

"That's not necessarily true."

"Oh, then what does it mean?"

"I don't know."

Aurelia bit her lip and tried to think of something to say, but Farkas spoke first.

"I don't love her or anything, you know. And she doesn't love me either."

"Oh?" Aurelia hesitated before slowly speaking her next words "Have you ever been in love with anyone?"

"I don't think so. I mean, you would know if you were, right?"

Aurelia looked away "Sometimes you think you are, when you actually aren't."

"What do you mean?"

"I thought I was in love once. This was years ago, I was around nineteen or twenty. His name was Rovindel. He was an Altmer noble that I met while visiting Summerset Isle. He was as handsome as he was brilliant. We found out we were both alchemists, so we started working together on projects. By day, we worked on ways to alleviate the negative side effects of temporary infertility potions. By night, we um, tested them out. He was the first man I ever went to bed with. We did it every night since the first and I never got tired of it. After being alone most of my life, I felt like I had finally met my match. But about three month into it, his parents found out and you know how Altmer can be. The thought of their son having relations with a human repulsed them so much that they threatened to disown him and cut off his funding if he continued seeing me. He broke it off with me the next day."

"I'm so sorry." Farkas said after a pause.

Aurelia shrugged "I was a fool to believe anyone would fall for me."

Farkas was always amazed at the way Aurelia said such pitiable things without a trace of pity in her voice. "No, he was a fool to let you go."

Aurelia's breath caught at his words. She turned slowly to meet his gaze, both hopeful and afraid of what she would find there, but before they could make eye contact, Captain Gjalund's voice tore her attention away.

"We're about to land!"

Aurelia shook her thoughts away and instead turned them towards their mission. Farkas probably didn't mean anything serious by it. He probably just meant it in a friendly way. He was her dearest friend, of course he would say something encouraging like that.

Before they were even able to get off the boat, a finely dressed Dunmer approached them.

"I don't recognize you, so I'll assume this is your first visit to Raven Rock, outlander. State your intentions."

"Who are you?" Aurelia said as she gingerly stepped off the boat.

"I am Adril Arano, second councilor of Raven Rock. Don't make me ask you again!"

Aurelia rolled her eyes "I'm investigating an attack on my life. Does the name Miraak mean anything to you?"

The stern look on Adril's face softened into one of uncertainty "I… I'm not sure."

Aurelia's eyes narrowed "What do you mean you don't know? Is there anything you can tell me?"

"I don't think so… I'm not… The name has something to do with the Earth Stone I think. But I'm not sure what."

"Okay… Where can I find the Earth stone?"

"Do I look like a tour guide to you? Go see Fethis Alor, he should have a map for you."

"So you'll let me stay and investigate then?"

"Yes, yes, fine." Adril stalked off, but he still looked disturbed by their interaction.

Raven Rock was a small settlement, so it was easy to find Fethis Alor.

"So, have you heard of someone named Miraak?" Aurelia said to Fethis as she handed him some coin for a map.

 _"_ I think maybe I had a dream about someone with that name _..."_

"A dream?" Farkas said.

 _"_ It was very strange. Was I... building something? A shrine, down on the beach near the Earth Stone? I'm not sure _."_

"Hm, thank you for the information, Fethis, and thank you for the map." Aurelia said.

Aurelia immediately unfolded the map and walked a safe distance away from any eavesdroppers.

"Something really strange is going on here." She murmured to Farkas.

"Mm hm, they both mentioned the Earth Stone." Farkas pointed to a location on the map "Looks like its nearby, maybe we should check it out." Farkas said.

"I think you're right, let's go."

The Earth Stone was indeed just a short trek down the beach. It was a simple standing stone in the middle of a small pool of water and there were workers building some sort of structure around it.

"Um, excuse me, what are you building?" Aurelia said to the nearest worker.

But the worker only muttered something incoherent and kept working. So she turned to another worker.

"What is going on he-?"

"All shall bear witness…" the worker droned with a blank look on his face.

Aurelia backed away slowly.

"They… they seem to be in some sort of trance."

"Mind control. This can't be good." Farkas said.

Aurelia gulped "Well, as disturbing as this is, it doesn't really help us find out who exactly Miraak is or where to find him."

Farkas nodded. "What do you think we should do?"

Aurelia sighed "I don't know, but I'm getting hungry. Maybe full stomachs will help us think better."

In spite of its less than appealing sounding name, the Retching Netch was actually a very cozy tavern (or "corner club" as the Dark Elves would call it). When they descended the stairs to the bar area, a young Dunmer woman who was seated at a table turned sharply to them, looked disappointed and then turned away.

"Hey, Farkas, could you please order me an ale and a horker and ash yam stew?" she said as she handed him a handful of coins "I'm going to try this woman."

Farkas nodded and walked in the direction of the bar and Aurelia approached the Dunmer woman.

"Um, hello, my name is Aurelia Ventus. Do you have a moment? I need help with something."

"I'm Dreyla Alor, and I can certainly try to help."

"Do you happen to know anything about someone named Miraak?"

"Miraak, eh? I'm not sure, something about a temple? I think?"

Aurelia perked an eyebrow. A temple? She honestly wasn't expecting to get any new information. "Do you know where I might find this temple?"

"I… I don't know. It's all so…"

Dreyla turned sharply to the direction of the stairs when they heard footsteps descending. When she saw that it was just a cook, she turned back to Aurelia.

"Are you waiting for someone?" Aurelia said.

"Yes, and he's running late. I'm starting to worry."

"Hey, they said it will be about a half hour before the horker and ash yam stew is ready." Farkas said as he approached them.

"Perfect! We can go look for Dreyla's friend. Who are we looking for and where is our best chance of finding him?"

"Oh! How kind of you. He's Modyn Veleth, captain of Raven Rock's guard. Last I heard, he was patrolling east of town."

"Ok, I'll start there. Hopefully, we'll be back soon."

Though the sun was beginning its descent, there was still plenty of light.

"Do you think this man's disappearance has anything to do with Miraak?" Farkas said as they were walking east.

"The thought did cross my mind. But hey, even if it doesn't, helping the captain of the guard can only be a good thing."

Farkas nodded "Right."

The dusty landscape just outside town was mostly barren, save for a few scathecrows and trama roots. Aurelia was especially excited to see trama roots as she used them to make 'weakness to shock' poisons. For a moment, she forgot about her mission and went to collect them, but her attention was quickly taken back by the sounds impacting weapons and inhuman growling. She and Farkas rushed towards the sound with weapons drawn. Further down near an abandoned farm, they saw a Dunmer in the golden bonemold guards armor fighting a group of three… what were they exactly? Neither Farkas nor Aurelia had ever seen anything like them, but they were clearly humanoid in shape and looked like they were made of sand. And they were clearly hostile.

Aurelia lay down a frost rune "Draw them this way!"

Farkas pelted the creatures with arrows. It didn't take long for them to notice and two of them started barreling towards them. Looked like Aurelia's hunch about them being unable to use ranged attacks was correct. Both Aurelia and Farkas managed to bury a few arrows into their flesh (if they could even call it flesh) before they tripped the rune. One of them fell, but the other kept coming. Damn, these creatures were tough. Farkas drew his greatsword and stood ready. Aurelia blasted the creature with frost as it approached and it took only one swing of Farkas's sword to finish it off. It would seem that the Dunmer guard was successful in slaying the last one, because he soon approached them.

"Thanks... I wasn't sure I'd make it off this farm alive. I wish I could have said the same for my man here." He said as he sadly indicated a fallen guard.

"You must be Captain Veleth." Aurelia said.

"I don't believe we've met, how do you know me?"

"I'm Aurelia Ventus and this is Farkas. We were sent to look for you by a mutual friend." Aurelia looked at the strange creatures laying on the ground "What are these things?" Aurelia said.

"Some of the guard have taken to calling them 'ash spawn.' I don't care what they're called... all I know is they're a danger to Raven Rock and they need to be stopped."

"First Miraak, and now these ash spawn. Looks like Solsteim has as much trouble as Skyrim does." Aurelia muttered.

"Miraak?" Veleth said.

Aurelia's eyes widened "Do you recognize the name?"

"I might know someone. Or maybe not. I can't remember..."

Aurelia sighed "That's the same response we've been getting from everyone. Can you give me anything more detailed?"

"I... I can't. I just can't be sure. I think maybe he had something to do with a temple. A temple here on the island. Does that help?"

"If I showed you a map, do you think you could show me where the temple is?" Aurelia said as she rifled through her bag for the map.

"I don't know, but I guess it's worth a look."

Captain Veleth looked at the point and pointed to a location north of Raven Rock "I'm pretty sure it's here, don't ask how I know that."

"Thank you so much! So this ash spawn problem you've been having, what do you know so far?"

"I was going to search for clues that might lead me to wherever they're coming from. I know it isn't the best place to start, but we know they've been coming from this direction. _"_

"Hey, what's this?" Farkas said as he pulled a note from an ash pile.

The three of them looked over the note.

"This is strange. The note says it's from General Falx Carius, but that's impossible."

"Impossible? How?" Aurelia said.

"Well, Carius was the Imperial garrison commander at Fort Frostmoth, but he died over 200 years ago when the Red Mountain leveled the place. There's no way he could still be alive."

"So what now?"

"If General Carius is still alive, there must be something keeping him that way. I need you to head out to Fort Frostmoth and check it out. I'm going to head back to Raven Rock and prepare the men for further assaults. Be careful, this General Carius sounds out of his mind."

"Right. But for now, let's go back to the Retching Netch, someone's waiting for you."

Veleth raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

/

Once again, Dreyla turned sharply toward the stairs when their footsteps could be heard descending, but instead of disappointment, her expression was one of elation.

"Modyn! Thank goodness you're safe!" she said as she threw her arms around him.

"Dreyla, someone will see us!" but there was a smile in his voice as he pulled her closer.

"You look dreadful, what happened?"

The four of them sat down and shared a meal while they recalled the ash spawn incident.

"Great, another reason to hate this place." Dreyla said.

"Don't worry, Dreyla. Farkas and I are Companions. Problems like this are what we train for. But we do still have to investigate Miraak." Aurelia said.

"I must admit, the fact that all our memories are being tampered with can't be a good thing. I'll understand if you need to prioritize this." Captain Veleth said.

"I was looking at the map earlier, and it looks like Fort Frostmoth is somewhat on the way to the temple. Maybe we can stop by and take care of it before we go to the temple?" Farkas said.

"Maybe, that depends on how long it will take to get there. We had to leave our horses back in Windhelm, so we'll have to walk everywhere." Aurelia said.

"Can you ride netches?" Farkas said.

Both Dreyla and Captain Veleth laughed, but not in an insulting way.

"They do domesticate them on the mainland, but I've never seen anyone ride one." Veleth said.

"Besides, all the netches here are wild." Dreyla said.

"I would totally ride a netch if I could. I adore my horse, but can you imagine riding a netch into battle? I'd be practically unstoppable!" Aurelia said.

They all laughed. In fact, much of the rest of the evening was spent in laughter and light conversation. It was a lovely distraction from everything else that was going on. However, Aurelia found her mind taking a turn back to more serious matters when Farkas and Veleth went to the bar to get more drinks.

"Can I ask you something?" She said tentatively to Dreyla.

"What is it?"

"How do you deal with it? Knowing that someone you care for is in a dangerous line of work and never knowing if they'll come back or not."

Her face twisted "I don't really deal with it. My heart wants him and I'm not strong enough to defy it. Although sometimes I wonder if I'm doing the right thing by being with him."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up a heavy subject."

Dreyla grinned at her. "It's alright. It's actually nice to have someone to talk to. My father doesn't approve, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't speak of this to him."

"Of course, your father is Fethis, right?"

"Yes. He says he doesn't approve because he thinks Modyn is only interested in my father's contacts in the East Empire Company, and that he's twice my age."

"Really?" Aurelia said as she looked over to Veleth and Farkas chatting at the bar. She was never very good at determining an elf's age. "Could have fooled me. Sorry, I interrupted you, please continue."

"That's what he says anyway, but I think it's because, well, he's never been the same since my mother died, and I don't think he ever wants me to feel the pain he suffers."

Aurelia nodded sadly. "Why must love be so hard?"

"I don't know, my friend."

"Aurelia, you have to try this sujamma!" Farkas's enthusiasm broke the heavy atmosphere as he returned to the table with a full mug.

Aurelia chuckled "Oh do I now?"

"If that's Geldis Sadri's sujamma, I'm afraid he's right. You do have to try it." Dreyla said.

Aurelia took a sip from the mug that Farkas was offering her "Ok, yeah. I've been all around Morrowind and I don't think I've ever had sujamma this good. Farkas, remind me to buy a few bottles before we head back to Skyrim."

It wasn't long after that they decided to retire for the night. Her talk with Dreyla hadn't given her the peace of mind she was hoping for. How did people live like this? Nearly everyone she had grown close to were warriors that constantly put themselves in harm's way. Even those who weren't warriors, like Klimmek and Bassianus, could find themselves snatched up by death at any moment. She promised herself and Farkas that she would accept the changes that came over her. But accepting the fact that she was now vulnerable to grief was no easy task. And yet, if she hadn't changed, she would never have been able to enjoy a night like tonight. Maybe that's how people lived like this; the good outweighed the bad. These thoughts calmed her enough to let her fall asleep.

/

The first thing she was aware of was something heavy in her hands. The second was that her arms were moving. As the sunlight slowly broke through both her clouded vision and her clouded mind, she saw that it was a pickaxe that she was swinging. The motions slowed as she became more in control of her body until she dropped the pickaxe. She blinked her eyes and looked around. She was at the Earth Stone. The realization of what had happened to her caused her to hyperventilate, which then built up to a scream. Of course, the other workers paid no mind and kept working and muttering. Where was Farkas? Did he get entranced too? When she found no trace of him at the Earth Stone, she ran back to Raven Rock, praying to every Divine that he would be there. She ran into Dreyla just outside the Retching Netch.

"Aurelia, you look terrified, what happened?"

"Where's Farkas?" she said breathlessly.

"He isn't with you?"

Before her heart could drop to her stomach, the door to the Retching Netch opened, and Farkas stepped out. Without hesitation, she crashed into him and wrapped her arms around him.

"Aurelia? What are you…?" but he returned the gesture.

She buried her face into his chest "Thank the Divines! I was so worried you'd been whisked away too!"

"Whisked away? What do you mean?"

"I just woke up at the Earth Stone with a pickaxe in my hand!"

"Ah, so that's where you were. When I woke up and you weren't there, I thought that maybe you had gotten up early to get breakfast. And when I didn't find you, I thought maybe you had left to get some supplies. I was just about to go looking for you."

Aurelia didn't speak, but only kept shaking.

Farkas spoke softly to her "Come on, let's get you inside. We'll get some breakfast and we'll figure out this Miraak business once and for all."

She nodded and followed him inside, too relieved to be embarrassed by the amused looks she was receiving.


	11. Chapter 11

Farkas had never seen Aurelia so frightened. Granted, he had only known her for two months, but they had spent a lot of time together in those two months, and it was very unsettling to see her so shaken. He had seen this woman face down a horde of draugr and she had remained cool and collected. To be honest, he didn't completely understand why she was so frightened, but he promised himself he'd stick by her and help her get through this in any way that he could.

They were hoping to make it to the temple before nightfall, but without horses, it was starting to look like that wouldn't be possible, so they decided to skip Fort Frostmoth for the time being. As the sun sank deeper below the horizon, both Aurelia and Farkas got increasingly uneasy, although for different reasons.

"Aurelia, it's getting dark, don't you think we should set up camp?"

"No, I'm pretty sure we're almost there." Aurelia said as she continued to speed walk ahead of him.

Even for a man like Farkas, walking all day had a way of taking its toll on one's stamina and he knew Aurelia could feel it too.

"We've been walking all day. Whatever we find in the temple, do you really think we can face it like this?"

"Of course we can, we're Companions!"

"I don't know, it seems dangerous to fight when you're tired."

"It's even more dangerous to sleep."

"What do you mean?"

"That's how they got me last time, remember? I can't let that happen again!" Aurelia unintentionally let a bit of fear seep into her voice.

"But all you did was build a bit, that's not so bad, is it?"

"And what happens if they get me again? Maybe I won't work this time. Maybe they'll make me do something else. Something worse. I won't risk finding out."

Farkas sighed. He wanted to tell her that she was being reckless, just like the time she went after the Forsworn. But he realized that it really wasn't like that time. In fact it was the opposite. That time, her recklessness was due to a lack of fear. This time it was due to an abundance of it. So instead he grabbed her hand from behind and she stopped.

"You don't have to be afraid."

She turned to face him "Do you remember when you asked me if there was anything I was afraid of? Well, this is it."

Farkas nodded "It makes sense, now that I think about it. You value your freedom and your mind more than anything. Of course your greatest fear would be to have them taken away from you."

"If you understand, then why do you say I don't have to be afraid?"

"Do you want to know what frightens me the most?"

"Spiders?"

Farkas chuckled "I definitely don't like spiders, but there is something that frightens me more, and that's watching the people I care about get hurt. So I'll be here to make sure you don't get hurt. We'll figure something out, ok?"

Aurelia wrapped her arms around him. She didn't care if she was confused about her feelings for him right now. All she cared about was that here was a man that she cared for deeply and was immeasurably grateful for his presence in her life.

Farkas wrapped his arms around her. It felt so good to hold her like this. This had to be love, right?

"Aurelia, I…"

"I have an idea!" Her head snapped back up.

"What?"

"I'll set a lightning rune right outside the tent. If I sleep walk again, I'll activate it, and the shock will wake me up! It will hurt, a lot, but it's better than being some puppet, right?"

"Um, right."

"I'm sorry, I interrupted you. Were you about to say something?"

"Oh, um, it's nothing."

"Ok, let's set up camp then."

/

They decided not to build a fire. As far as they knew, the cultists were still looking for her, and they didn't want to make it easier to find them. But the wind was strong that night and Aurelia was absolutely freezing. She very much envied Farkas's thick Nord blood that kept him warm. Farkas must have heard her teeth chattering.

"You're cold." Farkas said.

"I'll be fine." She shivered. "It's not like there's anything I can do about it anyway."

"You could come closer."

The warming of her cheeks from her embarrassment was welcome, but the emotion itself was not. "How much closer?"

"As close as you need to."

"I'll be fine."

But a gust of wind blew into the tent and she shivered even more. She could practically feel him raising an eyebrow at her.

"Fine." She said as she moved her sleeping roll right next to his.

"You know, you'd be warmer if we shared a sleeping roll." Farkas said, trying to keep his voice nonchalant.

Aurelia scoffed "You're huge, I wouldn't fit in there with you."

"You'll fit, I had to get a custom one made extra large for me."

There was a moment of silence. She had gotten a little warmer since moving closer to him, but not nearly as much as she would have liked.

"Are… are you sure you're ok with it?" she finally said.

"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't."

That was certainly true. If nothing else, she could always count on him to be honest. She quickly but tentatively got out of her bed roll slipped into is. _This isn't weird. This isn't weird. This isn't weird. He is so warm, this does feel nice, but not in a weird way!_

"Better?" Farkas said.

His breath was uncomfortably hot and tingly against her ear "Yes, well, let's stop talking so we can get some sleep."

/

"Farkas?" Aurelia's whisper woke him from his state of half sleep.

"What is it?" Farkas replied groggily.

"I still can't sleep, I'm still too cold."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Well…" he could practically feel her blushing against his chest "We could share body heat better if we took off more clothes…"

Farkas gulped "How much more?"

"Um, maybe just down to our smalls?"

"Ok, I can do that."

They both slid out of the bedroll and started hastily undressing. The dim moonlight left much to the imagination, and yet Farkas couldn't help but stare at her silhouette peeling off layer after layer until she was down to her smalls. She quickly slipped back into the roll and motioned for him to join her as soon as he was down to his smalls as well. He complied and she threw an arm around his chest and snuggled close to him, her leg entangled with his. Her skin was so soft and smooth it was almost criminal. He wondered if she knew how intoxicating she was to him.

"Farkas, I want to be even warmer. Will you help me with that?" Her hot breath against his ear tickled him in more ways than one.

Before he could even ask what she meant by that, her lips caught his earlobe. His sharp intake of breath only seemed to encourage her as she began to plant wet, ticklish kisses all over his neck, while her fingers caressed his bare chest. No longer having a reason to reign in his desires, he turned to his side and wove his fingers through the soft curls of her hair. He guided her head up to his mouth and kissed her hungrily. The soft moaning that escaped her lips whet his already growing appetite for her.

Aurelia slid her leg over his torso and repositioned herself so that she was on top of him, her lips never leaving his as she did so. Farkas placed his hands on her hips and felt his way up her torso until he found the knot that held her chest covering in place. Her feverish kisses made his head spin so much that he couldn't find the fortitude to undo the knot. Aurelia, sensing his struggle, smiled and sat up and reached behind her. There was just enough moonlight streaming through the tent so he could see her features. He watched in anticipation as her smiled widened even further as the chest covering fell away…

/

Sunlight penetrated his vision as he slowly blinked his eyes awake. His reluctance that the dream didn't go on longer was immediately followed by embarrassment. What a silly dream, as if Aurelia would actually do or say those things. He looked down at her. Her head was resting on his chest and obscured by the hood of her cloak, but judging by her even breathing and stillness, he figured she was still asleep. Which was a relief for him, because in spite of the fact that the dream was ridiculous, it still had an effect on his body. Although she could wake up any second and he'd rather not have to explain to her what was poking her.

 _Come on, Farkas, think of something gross. Like that dead, rotting deer you passed on the way here. Not good enough. Gods, she smells so good. Dammit! Come on! That time you took out that cult of Namira, it stank so bad. Oh, how about that time you accidentally walked in on Vignar taking a bath._

As he reluctantly focused on this mental image, his body relaxed. He slipped out of the sleeping roll before he could get stimulated again. The moving sheets caused her to wake up.

"Oh, it's morning already? Wow, I slept like a log." Aurelia said groggily but happily.

"Me too." Farkas said. Come to think of it, he couldn't remember the last time he slept well enough to dream. It was very rare for someone with the beast blood.

"So, um, thanks Farkas. It was only thanks to you that I was able to sleep so well." She chuckled "You're very warm."

He smiled back at her "Breakfast, and then head out?"

"Sounds good."

/

They reached the temple within an hour of leaving their campsite. To neither of their surprise, the temple was filled with entranced workers. They were surprised, however, to see a Nord woman there who was lucid and trying to talk sense into the workers.

"You must listen to me! We must leave this place!"

"It's no use, they can't hear you." Aurelia said as she approached.

The woman looked surprised, but pleased that she wasn't the only one who was lucid "You there. What brings you to this place? Why are you here? _"_

"I'm Aurelia Ventus and this is Farkas, who are you?"

"I am Frea of the Skaal. I am here to either save my people, or avenge them. Something has taken control of most of the people of Solstheim. It makes them forget themselves, and work on these horrible creations that corrupt the Stones, the very land itself. My father Storn, our shaman, says Miraak has returned to Solstheim, but that is impossible _"_

Aurelia and Farkas exchanged a look.

"It's not as impossible as you may think. Someone by the name of Miraak tried to have me killed."

Frea's lips parted in shock "Then you and I both have reason to see what lies beneath us. Let us go. There is nothing more I can do here. The Tree Stone and my friends are beyond my help for now. We need to find a way into the temple below."

Upon descending into the temple, they were met by hostile cultists. Yep, they were definitely going the right way. When they had descended further, Aurelia turned to Frea.

"So you said Miraak's return was impossible, why is that?"

"His story is as old as Solstheim itself. He served the dragons before their fall from power, as most did. A priest in their order. But unlike most, he turned against them. He made his own path, and his actions cost him dearly. The stories say he sought to claim Solstheim for himself, and the dragons destroyed him for it."

"Hm, an ancient foe, who by all counts, shouldn't still be alive, what do you think it means?" Aurelia said to Farkas.

Farkas shrugged "Daedra?"

Aurelia bit her lip "I hope you're wrong, but you're probably right."

For awhile, the temple seemed like an ordinary one; filled with draugr and the occasional cultist, but the deeper they went, they stranger things became.

"I do not recognize this statuary. We passed by a few of them earlier, but they are becoming more frequent as we get further in. I do not like this place. It almost looks as if these statues will come to life at any moment."

They continued through until they came to the final chamber. A strange book sat upon a stand in the center of the room.

"There are dark magics at work here. Ready yourself. This book... It seems wrong, somehow. Here, yet... not. It may be what we seek."

Aurelia cautiously approached it.

"Be careful, Aurelia." Farkas said.

She nodded slightly before opening the book. When she did, her expression went blank and her body became transparent.

"Aurelia!" Farkas reached out to shake her, but his arm just went through her. He turned to Frea "What happened to her, what do we do?"

"I… I don't know."

"Dammit! I should have looked at the book myself!"

"Calm yourself, we just…"

But before she could finish her sentence, Aurelia became opaque again and dropped the book. Her expression was initially fear, and then relief when she realized she was back on Nirn. Farkas ran up to her and grasped her hands.

"Are you ok?"

"What happened to you? You read the book and then... It seemed as though you were not really here. I could see you, but also see through you!" Frea said.

"Miraak was there. But I couldn't move, and then I was attacked by these strange creatures, and I couldn't move. And then I was back here."

"This is a dangerous thing, then. We should return to my village, and show this to my father. Perhaps Storn can make sense of what is going on."

They began to leave the temple, Farkas still held Aurelia's hand. When Frea noticed that Aurelia was still shaking, she spoke to her.

"That was very brave of you, to open that book. Take solace in the fact that it will bring us closer to defeating Miraak."

Aurelia shook her head, as if to shake herself out of some kind of trance "Yes, of course. Sorry, I just really don't like being restrained like that."

Frea smiled at her "There is no need to apologize for fearing such a thing."

"What was Miraak doing?" Farkas said as they finally left the temple.

"Well, when I first opened the book, I was ensnared by tentacles."

"Tentacles? I didn't see anything like that, did you?" Frea said to Farkas, to which he shook his head.

"You two didn't see them? Well, after I was ensnared, I was taken to a different place. There was a dragon, and a man in a mask, Miraak. He knew I was Dragonborn. But he said I was a weak one. I don't know, the entire experience was very jarring."

"I'm sure, but don't worry, I'm sure my father will help make sense of it all." Frea said.

/

Aurelia and Farkas were immeasurably grateful that Storn and Frea let them stay in their house that night. They didn't have any extra beds, but they were happy to let them set up their bedrolls on the floor next to a warm hearthfire.

And yet, Aurelia had a harder time sleeping that night than she did the night before when she was curled up with Farkas. When she returned to the village, Storn instructed her to go to Saering's Watch and learn a Shout that Miraak himself learned years ago. This mission was starting to be more than she bargained for. She thought this would be a simple "find the person trying to kill me and kill them first" mission, but it was turning out to be "save an entire island from a mysterious ancient evil that should, by all counts, be dead" mission. And yet she had a feeling this was just the beginning. She was beginning to wonder if she would make it back before the eleventh of Sun's Dusk.

She turned to look at Farkas and contemplated moving her bedroll closer to his. She was certainly warm enough, but he just had a way of making her feel more relaxed. He was still, but his breathing wasn't even. He was probably still awake. She knew that the beast blood kept him from truly restful sleep. She sighed. She knew he would notice if she moved closer. So she turned on her side and decided to just deal with her restless mind like she had in the many years before she met Farkas.

The next day Aurelia and Farkas left for Saering's Watch. They spent a few hours trudging through the slush before they reached the snow-covered ruins.

"Well, according to our map, this is Saering's Watch."

"Is… is that a dragon?"

Aurelia looked up from her map and saw the creature soaring above the ruins "Shit, that is indeed a dragon. Of course this wasn't going to be easy."

The dragon rained fire down into the ruins. There must be someone or something else here besides themselves. Probably wild animals or draugr.

"I don't think it's seen us yet." Aurelia immediately began rifling through her bag.

"How do we fight it?"

"Start by taking one of these." Aurelia said as she handed him a 'resist fire' potion and then continued searching through her bag. "Next, take out your bow."

While Farkas was readying his bow, Aurelia was coating a bundle of arrows with "weakness to shock" poisons. She handed half of it to Farkas.

"Next, try to hit it with one of these."

The dragon perched itself on one of the ruin walls and breathed fire on whatever poor creature was below. Aurelia and Farkas didn't waste time and began pelting it with arrows, for anyone who has ever shot a bow knows that stationary targets are preferable. Farkas wondered if their arrows were even hurting it, let alone hitting it, as the dragon hardly seemed phased. But when it got off its perch, it came straight for them and it was bloodied in a few spots. Aurelia put away her bow and readied a lightning spell in her hands.

"YOL TOOR SHUL"

The dragon's fire singed them, but thanks to the "resist fire" potions, they had enough strength to keep fighting. As the dragon passed above them, Aurelia shot a well-aimed lightning spell at its belly.

"We have company." Farkas said as he indicated the draugr coming from the ruins.

"Could you take care of it please? The dragon's mine."

Farkas nodded as he turned his blade to the oncoming draugr. As the dragon circled back around, Aurelia continued her barrage of lightning strikes until it came crashing to the ground in front of her. Then she took out her blade.

Farkas finished off the draugr just in time to turn and see Aurelia seize the dragon by its horn and pull herself onto its head. With a few slashes that were both precise and vicious, the dragon let out its dying yelp and fell. Aurelia tumbled off its head and landed on her feet. As the flesh burned away, strange wisps of energy came off the dragon's body and enveloped Aurelia. She seemed to glow as she walked toward him.

"Did you just…?"

"Consume its soul? Yep. We should probably make sure there's no more draugr and then go find this word of power."

"Um, right."

Farkas had to admit, he had never felt as attracted to anyone as he did to Aurelia in that moment when she seemed to glow with power. He still wasn't certain he was in love with her, though.

When they reached the word wall, Farkas watched as Aurelia was entranced like she was back in Dustman's Cairn. When she blinked herself out of her trance, she was silent.

"What's wrong? Did you learn the Shout?"

"I did." Aurelia's voice was flat.

"And?"

"Bend Will. That's the Shout."

"Ah, that explains a lot."

Aurelia nodded but said nothing.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't like this Shout."

"Well, maybe you'll never need to use it? You're strong, I bet you can defeat Miraak without it."

A smile twitched on Aurelia's face "I hope you're right, let's get back to the Skaal village."

 _Author's Note: Hey, did you miss me? Sorry about the delay, but I make my living as a freelance seamstress, and I had to outfit an entire wedding party by myself. The project took me all summer and I had very little free time. Special thanks to Draco Oblivion and Mima for the kind words, they're very encouraging!_


	12. Chapter 12

"You know, I think I have my answer."

"Hm?" It had only been a few moments since Aurelia and Farkas settled down to bed, so he was correct to assume she was still awake. Still, it was odd for him to say something so cryptic unexpectedly like that. "Answer to what?"

"Awhile ago you asked me how I feel about the fact that you use magic and poisons and stuff, and you said I should tell you my real opinion. Well I have my real opinion now. And think using magic and poison is ok. Because it's your own strength. They're skills you've worked hard to improve. It's not at all like this Bend Will Shout that Miraak is using. Winning by forcing people to submit to you just seems cowardly, you know?"

Aurelia's smile shone across the hearth fire "But I've used the Bend Will Shout too."

Farkas snorted a laugh "But that's different. Miraak used his Bend Will Shout on people. You've been using it on the standing stones to free people from him."

Indeed, the two had spent the last couple weeks running around Solsteim liberating people from Miraak's grasp. They even found time to go to Fort Frostmoth and take care of the ash spawn problem during their running.

"Yeah, now that we've freed everyone, I guess the next step is to go see this Neloth fellow and see what he knows about Black Books."

Neloth proved to be a rather unpleasant fellow, as did the task they set out upon the next day. They trudged through flooded Dwemer ruins in search of another Black Book, one that Neloth said would help them. Turns out, Farkas was right; daedra were at the heart of this, specifically the daedric prince Hermaeus Mora.

In spite of his disagreeable nature, Aurelia found that she was grateful to have Neloth by her side while fighting through the Dwarven automatons, as he was a skilled wizard. Finally, after hours searching, and backtracking, they finally came across the book.

"At last. I hope it was worth it. Please... be my guest. You deserve the first look. Besides, it could be very dangerous. These books are known to drive many people insane."

Aurelia took a deep breath as she approached it.

"I can go into the book this time, if you want." Farkas said.

"Don't be stupid. The information inside this book will only be useful to a Dragonborn." Neloth said.

"Neloth is right, I have to be the one to do this. Although he could have been more polite about it." Aurelia said as she gave Neloth a pointed look, which Neloth simply shrugged off "Thank you, though."

Farkas watched anxiously as Aurelia went transparent. Time passed slowly when all he had for company was Neloth, someone he'd rather not engage with if he could help it. He was exactly what he thought all mages were like before he met Aurelia. He was relieved for more than one reason when she became opaque again. Neloth spoke first.

"What happened? What did you see? Different people have very different experiences when reading these books."

The first time she came out of a Black Book, she was shaking with fear. This time, she looked almost cheerful "That place was littered with books! Here, Farkas, could you hold on to a few of these for me? I want to have room to grab more when I go back in there." She said as she started grabbing books from her bag.

 _"_ Of course it was littered with books. You were in Apocrypha. Or at least your consciousness was - your body remained here of course. You should read the book again until you reach what appears to be the "end" - then you will have fully understood the knowledge it contains."

Farkas had to roll his eyes as he stuffed his bag with the books Aurelia gave him. But it was nice to see that she wasn't afraid anymore.

Aurelia entered the book once more and resumed her search. Apocrypha really wasn't such a bad place, now that she could actually move around in it, despite the seekers, lurkers and the occasional lashing tentacle. Neloth mentioned that these books were a way for Hermaeus Mora to lure in mortals to be his servants. And as alluring as all the books were, they weren't anything she couldn't find on Nirn.

The "end" turned out to be a copy of the Black Book sitting on a pedestal with the mass of tentacles and eyeballs himself hovering over it.

"Well done, my champion. Your journey towards enlightenment has finally led you here, to my realm, as I knew it would."

"I would hardly call this a journey to enlightenment, and I certainly wouldn't call myself your champion, I'm just here so I can defeat Miraak and go home."

"All that he knows, he learned from me. I know what you want: to use you power as Dragonborn to bend the world to your will."

"That's not true! I hate this Shout and I would never use it, unless it's to free myself or someone else from mind control!"

Hermaeus Mora laughed "Is that what you tell yourself? Either way, you came here seeking knowledge, and I shall grant it to you. Here then is the knowledge you need, although you did not know you needed it. The second Word of Power. Use it to bend the wills of mortals to your purpose."

Aurelia heard the word in her mind and was filled with the knowledge of it. Her stomach churned slightly.

"But this is not enough. Miraak knows the final Word of Power. Without that, you cannot hope to surpass him."

"Surpass him? I have already surpassed him! I am a true warrior who earned her strength without enslaving anyone."

He laughed again "If you truly believed that, you would not be here, you would have faced him already."

Aurelia bit her lip. She had no retort.

"Miraak served me well, and he was rewarded. I can grant you the same power as he wields, but all knowledge has its price."

"What do you ask for the final word of power?"

"Knowledge for knowledge. The Skaal have withheld their secrets from me for many long years. The time has come for this knowledge to be added to my library."

"The Skaal's secrets? But this isn't my knowledge to give."

"But they are for the shaman of the Skaal village to give. You have a connection to him, do you not?"

Aurelia shook her head "I've changed my mind. I don't want the third word, I don't need the third word. You're right, if I really believed I had surpassed him, I wouldn't need you, and I don't! I'll face Miraak without your help!"

Hermaeus Mora laughed his loudest yet "You are quite an amusing mortal. I don't think you understand the predicament you're in."

"What do you mean?"

"The word I just gave you bends the will of mortals. The final word bends the will of dragons. And without the wings of a dragon, you cannot hope to reach him."

Aurelia was silent for a moment "I'll talk to the shaman when I return to the village."

/

This time, instead of being cheerful or frightened, she looked defeated when she returned.

"What happened?" Farkas said.

Both Farkas and Neloth looked at her expectantly.

"We need to go back to the Skaal village." Aurelia said slowly. "Hermaeus Mora gave me the second word of power. But in order to get the third word of power, he asks for the secrets of the Skaal."

"Hmph. What secrets could they have worth keeping from old Mora? Sounds like a bargain to me. Hermaeus Mora learns some fascinating new ways to skin a horker and you become the second most powerful Dragonborn that ever lived. Well, that gives me a lot to think about. I need to get back to Tel Mithryn. I have some ideas about how to locate more of these Black _Books..."_

"I just… I have a bad feeling about this."

/

Usually, Aurelia liked being right, but when it came to bad premonitions, well, she could make an exception. At first, she thought it might be the dragon waiting for them outside of Nchardak. But the feeling didn't go away after they defeated it. Storn was, understandably, none too pleased about the prospect of giving up the Skaal's secrets to Hermaeus Mora, but he decided he would do it the next morning. The feeling held through the night up until the next day when she handed Storn the book.

"I hope you know what you're doing."

"That is my hope as well. I am trusting you will make this sacrifice worthwhile."

Aurelia gulped and nodded.

"Father, you must not do this. That book is... wrong. Evil. Against everything that you have taught me my whole life." Frea pleaded.

"I must, Frea. It is the only way to free Solstheim forever from Miraak's shadow. There comes a time when everything must change. Nothing that lives remains the same forever. Do not fear for me, my daughter. This is the destiny that the All-Maker has laid out for me."

"I stand beside you, father, as always." Frea said, sounding defeated.

"I am ready for whatever the foul master of this book has in store for me."

Storn tentatively opened the book and was immediately ensnared by the tentacles. Hermaeus Mora's voice could be heard over the howling winds.

"At last, the Skaal yield up their secrets to me."

"You... liar... gah! ... I won't... not... for you..." Storns voice cried out agonizingly as Hermaeus Mora probed his brain for secrets.

"Hermaeus Mora! Stop! You're killing him!" Aurelia cried.

"Dragonborn, you have delivered me the gift I requested. In return, I keep my promise, as befits a Prince of Oblivion: I give you the Word of Power that you need to challenge Miraak. You will be either a worthy opponent or his successor, as the tides of fate decree."

Aurelia's body swelled with knowledge and power as Hermaeus Mora let go of Storn. Storn dropped dead and Hermaeus Mora faded back into Oblivion. Frea, Aurelia and Farkas, as well as some onlookers rushed over to Storn's body.

"Father! What have you done!" Frea's voice was choked with tears. She turned to Aurelia, her voice now hard with rage "Go. My father sacrificed himself so that you could destroy Miraak and lift his master's shadow from the land. Go, then. Kill Miraak. Do not fail."

Farkas drew Aurelia into a hug before placing his hands on her shoulders and looking her in the eyes "You can do this. Still, I wish I could go with you."

Aurelia gave him a tentative smile "I would feel more comfortable with you by my side as well. Look after Frea for me."

So Aurelia took a deep breath and opened the book and let the tentacles ensnare her, hopefully for the last time.

/

As she made her way through Apocrypha, Aurelia tried to think of a way to reach Miraak without using the Bend Will Shout. Dragons were intelligent creatures, maybe they could be reasoned with? They certainly couldn't be happy cooped up in Apocrypha when she could promise them the skies of Nirn upon her victory. But these dragons were under Miraak's Bend Will Shout, could they even be reasoned with in that condition? Probably not. She came to no conclusions as she reached the final chapter of the book.

She spied two seekers in the distance as she entered the last chapter. She crouched down and readied her bow. These creatures were not as tough as the lurkers, but she did not take them lightly. As soon as she released her arrow on them, she heard a dragon roar. Shit. She knew a dragon was going to show up, but she was hoping she could take out the two seekers before that happened.

The seekers hurled their balls of energy at her, sapping both her health and magicka. The dragon spotted her and breathed ice in her direction. She unsheathed her Skyforge steel blade, although she was unsure of who to turn her blade to.

 _If you use your Bend Will Shout on the dragon, you'll have one less foe to worry about, and an ally to fight the seekers._

She shook these thoughts away. She would win this battle on her own strength. But as she felt her health waning through the constant attacks, another thought popped up.

 _If you fail here, Storn will have died for nothing. Can you live with that?_

"GOL HAH DOV!"

The dragon ceased its attacks on her at once, but before it had a chance to land or speak, she spoke to it again.

"Slay those seekers now!"

"At once!"

The dragon rained down frost on the seekers while Aurelia took a moment to find a potion to heal herself. When the seekers were dead, the dragon landed in front of her.

"Hail, thuri. Your thu'um has the mastery. Climb aboard and I will carry you to Miraak."

Aurelia nodded and climbed on.

 _It was for Storn's sacrifice, it was for Storn's sacrifice._

Aurelia replayed those thoughts over and over again to soothe the rotten feeling in the pit of her stomach. She used the Shout that she swore she'd never use. She didn't care that it was on a dragon, and one that was trying to kill her. She still took control over someone's mind. What would Farkas think? Put she put these thoughts to rest as the dragon landed her on a large platform, flanked by two dragons and Miraak himself in the center.

"Sahrotaar, are you so easily swayed?"

"Don't make me laugh, Miraak. You only won his loyalty by bending his will, of course I easily bent it my way through the same means." Aurelia tried not to sound disgusted with herself as she spoke.

Miraak ignored her comment "And so the First Dragonborn meets the Last Dragonborn at the summit of Apocrypha. No doubt just as Hermaeus Mora intended. He is a fickle master, you know."

"He is not my master!"

"So you think. But it matters not, for now I will be free of him. My time in Apocrypha is over. You are here in your full power, and thus subject to my full power. You will die. And with the power of your soul, I will return to Solstheim and be master of my own fate again."

"So that's your plan? It's a shame it will fail. Your mastery of the Thu'um may be superior to mine, but I am a superior warrior! Any worm who gets what they want through manipulating the mind instead of their own strength deserves to die!"

She readied a fire bolt spell in her left hand and unsheathed her Skyforge steel blade with her right. Miraak unsheathed his own blade and readied a strange-looking staff in his left hand. Before she could wonder what it did, an inky ball of tentacles flew her way, entangling and poisoning her. Enraged, she hurled a firebolt at him as he assailed her. He grunted as he took the hit, but he recovered quickly enough to bring up a ward spell to block her second firebolt. When the gap between them closed, he brought down his sword, but not before she could catch it with her blade. They clashed steel for a few blows, until Aurelia got the upper hand and plunged her sword into his gut. She was just beginning to think that this was rather anti-climactic, when he went ethereal. He ran back to the center of the arena, muttered some unfamiliar words in the dragon tongue, and the next thing she knew, one of the dragons disintegrated, Miraak became physical again and he was back at full health. Aurelia was so caught off guard that she didn't react quickly enough to block the lightning spell he struck her with. She collapsed to the ground with a shriek. Miraak wasted no time as he clamored over to her with his sword raised.

"FEIM!"

Aurelia became ethereal just before the sword went through her. She staggered back as she stood up and pulled three potions out of her bag.

Miraak laughed "Are you trying to heal yourself? You know, the moment the potion touches your lips, you'll become physical again, and the potion will have meant nothing."

Aurelia scoffed "That's what you think."

Aurelia downed the first potion and she disappeared. When Miraak realized that it was an invisibility potion she just drank, he used a Fire Breath Shout in her direction, but the flames simply sailed into the distance. Once she was a safe distance away, she downed the second potion, a healing potion, and began to sneak towards him. With the dragons roaring in the distance, it wasn't difficult to go unheard, even as he looked cautiously for her. She coated her dagger with a "weakness to fire" poison and stabbed him when she got close enough. His reaction was immediate and she received a nasty slash to the torso. But then she hurled a fire bolt at him. And once again he became ethereal. This time, she was prepared, she magically sealed her wound shut and took a magicka potion. They were both back to full health. There was only one dragon left, Sahrotaar. He only had one more chance to heal himself.

Miraak Shouted. Aurelia recognized one of the words, but before she could try to remember what Shout it was, his body became cloaked in blue, red and yellow energy. Dragon Aspect. She learned the first word in Miraak's Temple, but she had yet to use it herself.

"MUL"

Aurelia Shouted but nothing happened. That's right, she had slain a few dragons since coming to Solsteim, but Miraak's spirit always somehow showed up to absorb the soul before she could (except at Saering's Watch). So she had no way to activate it.

Miraak blasted her with a firebolt, and then another. She quickly brought up a ward and tried to think of a plan. While she held up her ward with her left hand, she rummaged through her bag with her right and pulled out a "resist magic" potion. It should at least take the edge off of these colossal blows Miraak was dealing her. Her magicka was strong, but she knew she couldn't keep the ward up forever. Then again, Miraak's magicka also had its limits. Upon seeing that his magic attacks were getting him nowhere, Miraak came toward her with his sword raised. Good, that's what she wanted. He may be her equal in magic (maybe even her superior, though she was loathe to admit it) but she was superior when it came to swordplay. When he got close enough, she let down her ward and Shouted.

"YOL!"

The fire hardly phased him. She should have expected as much with his Dragon Aspect still up, still, it was disappointing. Now that she had successfully defended herself, she had to think of a plan of attack. Maybe a poison would work?

Miraak's and her blade clashed again. Shit. There was no way she could dig out a poison while fighting him like this. And then she spied the poisonous tentacle staff on his back. She liked the idea of using his own staff against him, but she had to get him to turn around. He caught her blade and was pushing hard against her. It would seem that even Miraak knew that she could outmaneuver him in swordplay, so he tried to overpower her instead. Bad move on his part, as Aurelia realized this was the perfect opportunity to realize her plan. She side stepped out of the way so that he clumsily fell forward. She quickly seized the staff from his back and wasted no time hurling those strange tentacles at him. Enraged at her audacity, he tried to charge towards her, but the tentacles held fast. Now that he was ensnared, she took out her bow and a poison and shot him with several poison arrows.

And then he went ethereal again. Aurelia's stomach roiled as she watched Sahrotaar get devoured. This was her fault. But she'd beat herself up about that later. She had one more chance to take Miraak down. She had one more poisoned arrow ready to go and she took aim as she waited for Miraak to become physical again. She released it at the same time Miraak sent a powerful firebolt her way. Fortunately, the resist magic potion was still in effect. Miraak threw another fire bolt her way, but she blocked it with a ward. She knew she couldn't keep it up forever, so she decided to take a gamble. She let down her ward so she could use the last of her magicka to hurl her own fire bolt at Miraak, but that left her vulnerable to his attack. They both fell forward.

"You're on your last limb." Aurelia said breathlessly.

"So are you." Miraak retorted, equally breathless.

Before Aurelia could even plan her strategy, a tentacle shot out of the center and speared Miraak through the torso.

"Did you think to escape me, Miraak? You can hide nothing from me here. No matter. I have found a new Dragonborn to serve me." Hermaeus Mora's voice boomed over the platform

"May she be rewarded for her service as I am!" Miraak's last words choked out in agony before his body disintegrated, leaving nothing but the bones.

"Miraak harbored fantasies of rebellion against me. Learn from his example. Serve me faithfully, and you will continue to be richly rewarded"

"I'm still not your servant, Hermaeus Mora." Aurelia said, voice still choked with pain.

"So you think. We shall meet again soon."

And then he was gone. Aurelia was so weakened that she practically crawled over to the book that would take her back to Nirn. When she returned, her physical body was just as battered and singed. Farkas was there to catch her as she collapsed.

"I can feel it. The Tree Stone is free again. The Oneness of the land is restored. Does that mean... is it over? Is Miraak defeated?"

Aurelia slowly nodded.

"Then my father's sacrifice... it was not in vain. He died to free us. Tell me... was it the only way? Did he need to die?"

"I would not have been able to reach Miraak without the final word of power." Aurelia choked, possibly to convince herself more than anything.

"Then... it was the All-Maker's will, as he said. I know I should not doubt it. But it is good to hear, all the same. Thank you. You clearly need medical attention, let's get you inside."

"What is the date today?" Aurelia said.

"The fifth of Sun's Dusk, why?" Frea said.

"By the gods! I have to be back in Skyrim in less than a week! I must go! She broke out of Farkas's arms, only to collapse again.

"You can't travel in this condition. Rest for the rest of the day, and I promise we'll get you back to Skyrim in less than a few days." Farkas said.

Aurelia couldn't protest, as her body wouldn't allow it, so she let Farkas carry her inside.


	13. Chapter 13

"You've been quiet."

The wind in Eastmarch was always howling, so Aurelia considered pretending she didn't hear him speak as they rode to Kynesgrove. But as he continued to stare at her, she knew she wouldn't get away with it. So she just shrugged.

"What is there to talk about?"

"You've haven't talked about your fight with Miraak."

"So?"

"Usually when you defeat a difficult enemy, you like to brag about it."

"Maybe he wasn't a difficult enemy."

"You couldn't even walk when you came back from Apocrypha."

"Maybe I'm just getting more modest. That should make Vilkas happy."

Farkas simply continued to stare at her "Did something happen in Apocrypha?"

"Looks like that's Kynesgrove up ahead." Aurelia said as the village came into view. She kicked Fauna forward and trotted ahead of Farkas.

Farkas let out a heavy sigh and followed her. When he caught up to her, she was already dismounting.

"You should get back to Jorrvaskr." Aurelia said as she led Fauna to a stable. "It's still pretty early, if you hurry, you may be able to make it before nightfall."

"Why don't you want to talk about Apocrypha?" Farkas said, still straddling his horse.

Aurelia's lips twitched into a humorless smile "This isn't me trying to avoid the subject, you really should go back and let everyone know we're safe."

"Can't I stay? You said you were going to fight a dragon, I could help with that."

"Normally, I'd say yes, but my contact is a little… jumpy. She doesn't even trust me yet, she'll be none too pleased if I involve someone else."

Farkas nodded "Ok, but when you come back to Whiterun, will you please tell me what's going on?"

Aurelia bit her lip "I don't know. I can try, but I'm not promising anything."

Farkas sighed. This was probably the best he was going to get from her. "Stay safe."

Aurelia watched him ride off into the distance. She had a couple days to spare before Delphine showed up, and she did anything she could to distract from the guilt. She told Farkas she'd try to tell him about what happened, but how could she, when she couldn't even think about it without feeling sick? Perhaps he would understand. It's not like he didn't know what was at stake. But still, maybe the part that bothered her the most was the fact that this proved that she wasn't as strong as she thought she was, again. What if she was backed into a corner again, would she use that Shout again? People have a way of throwing away their most closely held morals if it meant their own survival. Nevertheless, she spent her hours mining or reading any of the dozens of books she got from Apocrypha.

The Eleventh of Sun's Dusk finally arrived as well as Delphine.

"Good, you made it." Delphine said discreetly as she took a seat next to Aurelia at the bar "Are you ready to fight a dragon?"

Before she could answer, Iddra, the innkeeper, came frantically running into the inn. "You're gonna want to stay inside! There's a dragon, it's attacking!"

Delphine and Aurelia exchanged a look.

"Guess I'll have to be."

"Are you two crazy? I just said there's a dragon out there!" Iddra shouted at Aurelia and Delphine as they dashed to the door.

/

The distance between Windhelm and Kynesgrove was considerably shorter than the distance between Kynesgrove and Whiterun, and yet the trip felt shorter. Probably because she was dreading her return to Whiterun. Aurelia looked over to Delphine, who was riding alongside her, as Riverwood was in the same direction.

"Are you sure there's nothing I can do now?"

"That depends, have you thought of a way to infiltrate the Thalmor embassy?" Delphine said.

"What makes you so sure the Thalmor know anything?"

"My gut tells me it can't be anyone else."

"Right, your gut." Or personal (although completely justified) bias against them.

The images from the previous day were still fresh in her mind. Aurelia and Delphine had witnessed the resurrection of a dragon, just like Delphine said would happen. But what she wasn't expecting was that it was revived by the same ebony dragon that attacked Helgen. She didn't know what she was mixed up in, but she could tell it was big, and she didn't like it. Her eagerness to investigate was equally due to her unease about the situation as it was to avoid going home.

"Maybe I could scout out the Thalmor embassy and see if there are any places I could get in?"

Delphine scoffed "You think I haven't tried that already? Trust me, that place is locked up tighter than a miser's purse, they could teach me a few things about paranoia. Why are you so anxious? Didn't you just spend a few weeks in Solsteim? I'd think you'd be happy to go home for a while."

Aurelia bit her lip. Delphine wasn't exactly a friend, but she needed someone to talk to and miles to go before they made it back to Whiterun hold. So she told her everything that happened in Solsteim. When she finished telling her story, Delphine laughed.

"What's so funny?" Aurelia said indignantly.

"Forgive me, I just can't believe you feel guilty over enslaving a dragon, considering that they had enslaved us in the past and are currently trying to enslave us again."

"If they were wrong for doing it, wouldn't that also make me wrong for doing it?"

"Trust me, this is how dragons are. All they know are domination and submission. They feel no guilt over enslaving you, you shouldn't feel any either. You did what you had to do."

"I know, it's just… you don't understand."

"Indeed I don't."

/

It was late at night when Aurelia slipped through the doors of Jorrvaskr. Even so, she knew Farkas would still be awake. When she saw the figure seated in front of the hearth, she let out a heavy sigh. A promise was a promise and she figured it would be best to get it over with. So she walked over to the figure.

"Ah, Aurelia, good to see you."

"Oh, hello Kodlak." Aurelia said, genuinely surprised "You as well."

"Care to join me for a moment?"

"Sure." Aurelia said as she took a seat next to him.

"Farkas tells me you haven't been acting like yourself lately."

Aurelia shrugged "I haven't been feeling like myself lately."

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

"I don't suppose you can turn back time? No, even then it wouldn't help, because I still wouldn't be strong enough to deal with the situation."

"My dear girl, even the strongest people have limitations to their power. Even the Aedra and Daedra aren't all powerful."

"I suppose that's true, but I don't like it."

Kodlak chuckled "I don't think any of us do."

Aurelia smiled. It was a small smile, but a genuine one "So what are you doing up here at this hour?"

"Just taking a break from my research. It helps if I clear my head from time to time."

"Research?"

"The disease, you see, affects not just our bodies. It seeps into the spirit."

"Disease? You mean lycacnthropy?"

"Yes. Upon death, werewolves are claimed by Hircine for his Hunting Grounds. For some, this is a paradise. They want nothing more than to chase prey with their master for eternity. And that is their choice. But I am still a true Nord. And I wish for Sovngarde as my spirit home."

"You've been looking for a cure."

"That's what I've spent my twilight years trying to find out."

Aurelia nodded "That's quite a task you're undertaking, do you need a hand?"

Kodlak smiled "I would greatly appreciate having the assistance of someone more magically minded than I am."

"What do you know so far?"

Kodlak got up "Come with me."

So Kodlak led Aurelia down to his quarters and showed her his research notes. Aurelia wasted no time pouring over them. Kodlak watched breathlessly as Aurelia muttered incomprehensibly as she read.

"Hm, this is a good start, I'm actually very impressed that you got this far. You have a great deal of information relevant to the Companions, which I'm sure will help, but I need more information on the technical aspect if I am to figure out how to break this curse. The truth is, curses aren't really my strong suit. But if I had more research material to work with, I may be able to figure something out." Aurelia suddenly looked up "The College of Winterhold! Of course, they have the largest library in Skyrim. I'm sure they have something that will help me figure this out!"

"If you think that is our best chance, I trust you. However, I don't think I will be joining you, as I doubt I would be of much use there."

Aurelia laughed "Just leave it to me. Besides, if you came with me, who would keep all the whelps in line?"

Kodlak returned the laugh "Thank you so much, you don't know what this means to me."

"Of course, I'm happy to help." This was true in more ways than one. Of course she cared about Kodlak, but this was also an excuse to get away from the Companions for a while and think about something else besides what happened in Apocrypha.

"I hate to ask another favor, as you're already doing so much for me, but I do have another one."

"What is it?"

"Please talk to Farkas before you go, he's worried about you."

The smile that had been on her face for the past few moments flattened out "Yeah, I know. And I will."

/

Aurelia knocked tentatively on Farkas's bedroom door.

"Um, hi Farkas." She said just as tentatively when he opened the door.

He smiled warmly at her "I'm so glad you're back, please come in."

She sat down at his bar as he grabbed an ale for her and a mead for himself.

"I just wanted to tell you I'm leaving tomorrow."

"What? But you just got back." He said as he took a seat next to her.

"I know, sorry. But I'm going to the College of Winterhold. I'm going to help Kodlak find a cure for lycanthropy."

"Oh, that's good."

"Yeah, but I'll write you letters. If you want."

Farkas nodded "I'd like that."

And then there was an awkward silence. Farkas kept staring at her expectantly, but patiently. She knew what he wanted. She tried to think of how to begin this conversation, but all she did was burst into tears. Farkas simply put an arm around her shoulder and waited until she was able to speak.

"I did something bad." Aurelia finally managed to choke out.

"You used the Bend Will Shout, didn't you?" He said gently.

"How did you know?"

"Well, I didn't. I just know that it would upset you if you did."

"I used it on a dragon. Hermaeus Mora told me I would need to use it on a dragon to reach Miraak in the first place. I thought that maybe I wouldn't need it. I was wrong. And then, after I used it, the dragon had its soul devoured by Miraak. It was my fault. I feel so disgusting."

"You would have felt even worse if you had let Miraak take over Solsteim and let Storn die for nothing."

"I know, but that still doesn't make what I did right, just a little less wrong."

"Sometimes the less wrong thing is the only right thing you can do."

"You really are amazing, you know that? I don't deserve a man like you."

"What did you mean by that?"

Aurelia's face went as red as an apple "Nothing! I didn't mean anything by it. Friend! I meant I don't deserve a friend like you. I should get some sleep now, good night! Thanks for the ale!"

Aurelia hastily gathered her things and made for the door.


	14. Chapter 14

_Dear Farkas,_

 _Well, I've been here for a couple weeks, and I must say, I love it. When I approached the college, there was a high elf woman standing at the bridge so she could administer a test to keep out those who have no skill. When I told her my name, she said she recognized me. She had heard of the girl from the Arcane University who had been publishing alchemical theses since she was a girl. But I still cast a lightning rune for her. Her name is Faralda and we've actually sort of become friends. At least we've been working together a lot. She's very experienced in destruction magic and she's been teaching me to master cloak spells. She was surprised that I never bothered to learn them before, as it is especially useful to battle-mages._

 _You know, I've just realized, since I've come to Skyrim, I've befriended everyone whose names begin with Fa. You, Fastred, Faralda. How odd is that?_

 _And don't worry, I haven't neglected my mission. Even though I've been working with Faralda on my own stuff, I've still been spending plenty of time in the Arcaneum so I can try to find a cure. Although, I must admit, it's not going as well as I would have hoped. I keep hoping there will be an alchemical cure, but it's starting to look like that's not the right way to go about it._

 _I also love how beautiful this place is. The college sits over the frozen ocean, and I absolutely love watching the sun rise and set over the frozen crystals shining over the water. Although I have to admit, as beautiful as it is, being this far north, especially at the end of Sun's Dusk, is difficult. How I envy your thick Nord blood._

 _Hope to hear back soon!_

 _Yours,_

 _Aurelia_

 _P.S. How are Ria, Athis and Torvar doing? I feel guilty that I didn't say hello to them when I returned. I just really didn't feel like seeing anyone, you know why._

Farkas was relieved for two reasons when he received her letter. For one, it was starting to look like she was doing something besides beating herself up for what happened in Apocrypha. Second, he was afraid she would be too embarrassed to write him after their last conversation. He found himself thinking about what she let slip out to him quite often, even though she said she meant nothing by it. He was in love with her. He had been thinking about it for awhile, but he decided this for sure on Solsteim. How could these feelings be anything else? No one had ever made him feel the way she did. She was smart, the smartest woman he'd ever met, and yet she didn't think he was dumb. In fact, he felt smarter when he was with her, and it was a good feeling. And she was strong. He felt that if she was by his side, they could conquer the world. Not that she'd want to. No, she would be content to simply explore it. That was another thing he loved about her. She made the world feel so big and exciting. He was happiest when he was with her and loneliest when she was gone. And her little slip made him feel like maybe she thought about him in the same way.

But he never got around to telling her how he felt. Partly because he wasn't sure he had a chance with her. He always thought she would prefer someone on the same level of intelligence, probably another mage, like that high elf she was with years ago. Just because he felt smarter when he was with her, didn't mean he actually was. Still, maybe he had a chance. So he decided he was going to tell her.

He put aside her letter and took out a sheet of parchment and ink so he could write his own. But he found he was just staring at the page. He really thought that since the thoughts came so easily, the words would too. He wrote several drafts before he decided he'd rather tell her in person. It would be better that way anyway.

/

"Are you sure there's nothing I can help with?" Urag gro Shub's voice was clearly impatient.

"I'm fine." Aurelia said as she stared intently at the bookshelf with a hand on her chin. She reached up and began pulling a book off the shelf.

"You've read 'Physicalities of Werewolves' three times already. I'm pretty sure it doesn't have what you're looking for."

"I'm not looking for anything in particular," Aurelia said as she nonchalantly shoved the book back into place, because that was, in fact, the book she grabbed. "I just find werewolves fascinating."

"Hmph." This girl was so obviously looking for something in particular, it was painful. Although he didn't know why she was trying to be so discreet about it. There were few subjects that were taboo at this college, and lycanthropy wasn't one of them. "You know, if you're so fascinated with werewolves, maybe you should spend some time researching the source of lycanthropy."

"The source?"

"I mean the Daedric Princes. You do know that lycanthropy comes from Hircine, right?"

"Right! Of course!" she clapped her hands together "That would indeed make for some interesting reading. Would you be so kind as to direct me to the section on daedric matters?"

"Over there." He said as he pointed.

"Right, thanks."

Aurelia's eyes roamed the bookshelf. There were so many she didn't know where to start. But one tome caught her eye, so she picked it up. _On Daedric Curses by Eloise Lalune_. This looked promising. She took it to a table and began reading. It was written in a way that even those who weren't well-versed in conjuration magic could understand it, which she was immeasurably grateful for. But she had only read a few pages when a voice interrupted her.

"Aurelia! I thought I'd find you here."

"Oh, hi Onmund."

"Tolfdir is beginning a lecture soon, are you coming?"

"Yeah, sure."

She put the book back on the shelf. She would find time to read it later. She followed Onmund to the Hall of Elements where J'zargo, Brelyna and Tolfdir were already waiting.

"Welcome! Welcome! We were just beginning, please stay and listen." Tolfdir said. "So, as I was saying, the first thing to understand is that magic is, by its very nature, volatile and dangerous. Unless you can control it, it can and will destroy you.

"Sir, I think we all understand that fairly well. We wouldn't be here if we couldn't control magic." Brelyna said.

"Of course, my dear, of course. You all certainly possess some inherent natural ability. That much is not being questioned. What I'm talking about it true control, mastery of magic. It takes years, if not decades of practice and study." Tolfdir said.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get started!" J'zargo said.

"Please, please, this is exactly what I'm talking about. Eagerness must be tempered with caution, or else disaster is inevitable." Tolfdir said.

"But we've only just arrived here, you've no idea what any of us are capable of. Why not give us a chance to show you what we can do?" Onmund said.

"Aurelia, you've been quiet so far, what do you think we should do?"

"Well, needless to say, caution is important. I could tell you many a tale in which a disregard for it has led to death. However, one does not take great leaps without taking risks. If we alchemists had kept our tongues in our mouths, we would not have made any discoveries at all. So, I guess…"

"We're all pretty new at this, right?" Onmund said when Aurelia didn't finish her sentence "Let's just give it a chance. What's the worse that could happen?"

"Well, there are a lot of ways I could answer that question, but yes, we should try something" Aurelia said.

"All right, let's settle down, I suppose we could try something practical. In continuing with our theme of safety, we'll start with wards. Wards are protective spells that block magic."

"Ah yes, wards have saved my life many times. Like most recently, during a trip to Solsteim…" But she stopped as the memory clamped painfully on her brain. "Er, I mean. I've used them many times. A very good place to start. Good thinking, Tolfdir."

"Well, if you're familiar with them, would you mind demonstrating?"

"Certainly."

Aurelia easily blocked the firebolt that Tolfdir sent her way.

"Well, I think this is an excellent start. I'd like you all to continue practicing with wards please. I think we're ready to begin exploring some of the various applications of magic throughout history. The college has undertaken a fascinating excavation in the ruins of Saarthal nearby. It's an excellent learning opportunity. I suggest we meet there in a few hours, and see what awaits us inside. That's all for now, thank you."

The four of them practiced with wards for about a half hour before heading out to the courtyard. Aurelia was immediately approached by a courier.

"I've been looking for you, got something I'm supposed to deliver, your hands only. Let's see here. Ah, a letter from Farkas of the Companions. Looks like that's it. Got to go."

Butterflies erupted in her stomach as she look the letter. She had opted to stay completely casual in her letter to him, she prayed to the Divines that he would too.

"Ah, that's right, you're a Companion too! Do you think they want you back on urgent business?" Onmund said.

"Doubt it. This member and I simply like to correspond."

"Is… Is he a lover?"

"Nope, but we're very close." Aurelia tried to sound nonchalant.

"Oh, okay." Was it just her, or did he sound a little relieved?

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm getting a snack before we head out to Saarthal." Brelyna said.

"I think I'll join you." Aurelia said.

/

 _Dear Aurelia,_

 _Yeah, Ria, Athis and Torvar were disappointed when you didn't see them. But I told them you were on an urgent, private mission from Kodlak. They understood. So I wouldn't worry about it._

 _Vilkas and I are spending more time together. I like it. We used to fight about you a lot. But I think he likes you more now, after he heard about what you're doing for Kodlak, even if he won't say it out loud._

 _Listen, when you get back, there's something important I want to talk to you about. I don't want to say it over a letter, I want this to be in person._

 _I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. I hope you come back with lots of stories._

 _Yours,_

 _Farkas_

Aurelia's face blistered and her stomach roiled. She was almost certain it had to do with her stupid slip up the last time they were together. Damn it all. She just wanted to pretend that nothing happened, and they could just move on. Apparently, Farkas wasn't going to let that happen. He was a very straightforward man, and if he actually had romantic feelings for her, he probably would have told her by now. This important thing he wanted to talk about was probably just going to be him rejecting her. He was blunt, but he was also kind. At least he would probably let her down gently. It was getting increasingly difficult to pretend she wasn't falling in love with him and that his rejection wouldn't hurt, even if he was gentle about it. But there were some things he said, or sometimes the way he said them, that made her think she might have a chance. And yet, a familiar fear gripped her heart at the thought that a romance with him would be possible. The last time she felt like this about someone, she ended up humiliated. The fear tightened at the realization that this was nothing like her relationship with Rovindel. The relationship she had with him felt like a puddle compared to what she had with Farkas. There was so much more to lose…

"I thought you said he wasn't a lover." Brelyna's voice jerked her out of her thoughts.

"He's not!" She laid the letter aside and returned to the bowl of stew that sat before her.

"If that's true, why are you blushing so much?"

"I'm not blushing." Aurelia said, feeling stupid as the words came out.

"Right." Brelyna muttered sarcastically "Onmund's going to be heartbroken, you know."

"What are you talking about?"

"You really haven't noticed that he's infatuated with you?"

"Oh, that. He'll get over that once he realizes he only likes me because he's lonely. He's been surrounded by Nord girls who wanted nothing to do with him because he practices magic, and now all of sudden he's surrounded by women who practice magic, so he thinks he has a chance."

"So does he have a chance with you then?"

"Of course not. I mean he's sweet and handsome, and I like him as a person, but he's not…"

"Him." Brelyna finished for her "Whoever this man you're writing to is."

Aurelia blushed "We really should get to Saarthal now."

/

Aurelia's trek back to the college was accompanied by relentless snow and relentless darkness. She had lost track of the other apprentices and Tolfdir decided to stay to investigate… actually, she had no idea what they found. What began as an innocent field trip led to the discovery of a large orb that radiated magicka, which was preceded by fighting through draugr (nothing she wasn't used to) but more strangely, some phantom from some long forgotten society called the Psijic Order appeared before her (but not Tolfdir for some reason) and informed her that something dangerous was going to happen because of their actions here, and that he believed she would overcome them. Or something to that effect. Normally, she would have been thrilled at such a discovery, but right now all she could think was that it was a distraction from her research. Nevertheless, she would report their findings to the Archmage in the morning and see this through to the end.

She had just entered the still streets of Winterhold when she saw a figure coming towards her. Her left hand glowed with magicka-fueled fire, but when she saw that is was just a courier, she relaxed.

"You're Aurelia Ventus, right? I've got a letter for you."

Aurelia furrowed her brow, but took the letter. She had just received a letter from Farkas today, she didn't know who else would be writing her. When she returned to her quarters, she read the letter.

 _Aurelia,_

 _I've figured out how we're going to get you into the Thalmor Embassy! The Thalmor ambassador, Elenwen, regularly throws parties where the rich and connected cozy up to the Thalmor. I can get you into one of those parties. Specifically the New Life party on the first of Morning Star. Once you're inside the Embassy, you get away and find Elenwen's secret files. I have a contact inside the Embassy. He's not up for this kind of high-risk mission, but he can help you. His name's Malborn. Wood elf, plenty of reason to hate the Thalmor. You can trust him. I'll get word for him to meet you in Solitude, at the Winking Skeever on the day of the party. In the meantime, I'll work on getting you an invitation to Elenwen's little party. Meet me at the Solitude stables after you've arranged things with Malborn. If you have any questions, I'm still at the Sleeping Giant Inn._

 _-Delphine_

Aurelia had so much on her mind the past couple weeks that she completely forgot about Delphine and their mission. Well, she had about a month before the first of Morning Star. Whatever was going on at the College of Winterhold, surely it wasn't so big that they wouldn't solve it by the end of Evening Star, right?


	15. Chapter 15

Aurelia, Faralda and Arniel Gane ran towards Winterhold, hands alight with magicka. Swarms of the magical anomalies were rampaging the streets, wreaking havoc among the few residents of the town. Aurelia threw up a lightning cloak, and descended with her sword raised. The creatures were about as evasive as ice wraiths, but didn't bite nearly as hard. The anomalies shattered when slain, and then fell to the ground in piles of dust. When she was fairly certain she had slain them all, she searched for Faralda.

"Faralda! Are you alright?" Aurelia called out as she spotted her behind the crumbling remains of a house.

"Nothing I couldn't handle."

"Good. I need to report to Mirabelle, although I'm fairly sure I know what needs to be done next." Aurelia said and then started for the college.

Faralda followed her "And what is that?"

"I need to go to Labyrinthian."

"Labyrinthian? Are you crazy?"

"Probably, you aren't the first person to say that. But why do you say that?"

"Even the Archmage was afraid of that place. It's incredibly dangerous."

"I don't have a choice. The only way to stop this disaster is with the Staff of Magnus, and I have it on good authority that it's there."

"Then I'm going with you. There are plenty of other mages here to protect the College and the city. You shouldn't be going to a place like that alone."

"Thank you, Faralda. After I report to Mirabelle, we should leave right away. We should at least be able to make it to Windhelm before nightfall."

/

Besides a few murmurs heard from outside their room, Candlehearth Hall proved to be a quiet enough location for Aurelia to study the map and plan their next move.

"Hey, Faralda?" Aurelia said, eyes still on the map.

"Yes?" She said sleepily from her bed.

"I was thinking of stopping in Whiterun, since it's on the way. Sort of."

Faralda turned on her side to face her "Why? I thought you said we were in a hurry."

"Right, but you also said Labyrinthian was dangerous. I know some people there who can help us."

"Like who?"

"Well, I have a housecarl. And I am a member of the Companions, if you recall, I'm sure I can find someone there to help us."

"The Companions? They don't strike me as the type who would want to help the College."

"Maybe not, but I have faith they would be willing to help me. Well, some of them, anyway."

Faralda nodded "If you really believe they'll help us, then a stop to Whiterun will probably be a good idea."

/

As expected, getting Lydia to join was no trouble, but she found herself growing anxious as she walked to Jorrvaskr. Not because she thought they'd refuse her request for help, as Faralda thought, but because she didn't know what she would say to Farkas. She soothed herself by telling herself that she'd just have to tell him that whatever he wanted to talk about would have to wait, as she was on urgent business. It's not like it wasn't true.

As she wandered around Jorrvaskr, she was both relieved and disappointed that she couldn't find him. Although she didn't want to face him, she could certainly use his help in this mission, and she knew he was someone who wouldn't refuse her request. She did, however, find Aela practicing archery in the training yard, and she knew that Aela likely wouldn't refuse, as she loved a challenge.

"Aurelia? I'm surprised to see you. I thought you'd be gone for awhile." She said as she became aware of Aurelia approaching her.

"So did I, is Farkas around?"

"I'm afraid he's out on a job. What did you need him for?"

"I need someone to fight by my side. The college ran into some trouble and I need to go into some dangerous ruins to fix said troubles. Would you be interested?"

Aela lowered her bow and smirked "Dangerous ruins, eh? Where exactly are we headed?"

Aurelia smirked back; just what she expected from Aela.

/

"So, why are we going to Labyrinthian?" Aela finally bothered to ask after they were already trudging through the snow that surrounded the mountains that the ruins were nestled in.

"We need to retrieve a magical artifact to help stop a calamity." Aurelia said.

"Another calamity caused by the College of Winterhold? Figures." Aela muttered, but not quietly enough that Faralda couldn't hear.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Faralda said indignantly.

"Nothing, just that you never see gatherings of warriors cause problems like you see with gatherings of mages." Aela said.

Aurelia rolled her eyes. Of course Aela and Faralda would fight and she would be caught in the middle of it. "Technically, this was caused by the Thalmor, not the college."

"Oh, the Thalmor." Aela said with a hint of venom in her voice.

Aurelia was rather pleased with herself for bringing up the Thalmor, an enemy that they all could unite under.

"So what has this Thalmor done?" Lydia said.

So Aurelia spent the remainder of their trek relaying the events of the past couple weeks. The discovery under Saarthal, the Psijic monks, the Augur of Dunlain, the Synod in the dwarven ruins, and Ancano seizing the Eye of Magnus and killing Savos Aren. Just as she finished her story, the ruins came into view, along with a familiar-looking apparition.

"Come on, we're finally here, let's not waste any more time." The apparition said.

"Savos? Is that you?" Faralda said.

But the apparition didn't answer, and five more apparitions appeared alongside him.

"Are we truly sure this is a good idea?" an Argonian apparition said.

"What is going on here?" Lydia said.

"We'll be back at the College before anyone even knows we're gone." Another apparition said.

"Sh, I don't think they're aware of us." Aurelia said.

The apparitions continued speaking.

"You would care about that, since you are the arch-mages favorite."

"Don't forget, this whole idea was Atmah's to begin with."

"Let's just get inside and see what's in there."

And with that, the apparitions disappeared.

"What did we just witness?" Aela said slowly.

"Probably the beginning of a tragedy." Aurelia said "So we're all going to have to have each other's backs if we are to get through this."

The inside was nothing special, it looked just like every other Nordic ruin Aurelia had been in. But the reappearance of the apparitions gave them all a sense of foreboding that none of them could ignore.

As Aurelia led them through, she came across a closed gate, and a lever. She pulled the lever and walked through the gate, but before any of the others could follow, she heard the gate slam shut behind her. She was in a large, open room and several skeletons were menacingly approaching her. But these didn't worry her nearly as much as what looked like a dragon burial mound in the center of the room.

"Someone pull the lever! I'm going to need back up!" Aurelia shouted as she threw up a flame cloak and took out her sword.

Shortly after shouting her command, she was joined in the large room by her companions. Aela and Faralda picked off the skeletons with their ranged attacks while Lydia rushed towards the skeletal dragon that had just crawled up from the ground and Aurelia followed her. The dragon seemed to favor frost attacks, so Lydia didn't mind taking the hits. As soon as all the skeletons were gone, Faralda and Aela attacked the dragon from a distance, while Aurelia switched between healing Lydia and attacking the dragon herself.

"Not bad for a mage." Aela said to Faralda after the dragon was slain.

"Not bad for someone who prefers to defeat her enemies by hurling pointy sticks." Faralda retorted.

But before they could argue any more, they watched in awe as Aurelia absorbed the soul, which was something neither of them had ever seen before.

"Is everyone alright? Does anyone need a potion?" Aurelia said as she stuck a hand in her bag.

"Stamina please." Lydia said breathlessly.

"Of course. Well, that battle formation seemed to work well. I suggest we stick to it as we move along. Now, let's keep going."

As they continued through the ruins, it was clear that there was indeed a tragedy as less and less apparitions appeared. And it soon became clear how six college-trained mages were not able to survive. Morokei, the dragon priest who inhabited these ruins, was able to sap their magicka from a distance. But instead of being disheartened, they were encouraged because their team was diverse, and therefore strong. While the draining of their magicka was a nuisance to Faralda, and to a lesser extent, Aurelia, the other members of the team did not rely on their magicka for strength, so they were able to keep fighting. With Lydia being at the forefront of the battle, Faralda and Aela attacking from a distance and Aurelia doing whatever was necessary at the time, they made a formidable team. It wasn't long before they were faced with Morokei himself, but he was bound by two entranced mages.

"I think I have an idea." Aurelia said as she regarded the battle setup. "Morokei is being held by those two enthralled wizards up there. Faralda, Aela. Go up and kill them, and then immediately start attacking once Morokei is free. I'm going to place a lightning rune on either side of him. Lydia, you are going to knock him into the rune and commence attacking. I'll doing ranged attacks from over here, so I'm close enough to come back you up if you need it. Is everyone clear?"

They all nodded and got into position.

"Everyone ready? Commence the attack!" Aurelia said with her hands alight with fire.

At first, the plan seemed to go well. Faralda and Aela took care of the mages and Lydia knocked Morokei into the lightning rune, but not long after Faralda threw her first firebolt, Morokei drained her magicka. Damn it all to Oblivion, of course that would be the first thing Morokei would do. And Faralda had already used her Highborn ability earlier, so she was without a way to attack. But instead of kicking herself for not realizing the obvious, she ran up to where Faralda and Aela were while clumsily rummaging for potions. She ran to Faralda first.

"Here's a magicka potion." She said quickly before moving to Aela. "Here's a True Shot potion, it will make your attacks even stronger."

In the second it took Aela to cease her attack and drink the potion, they heard a scream. Lydia, unable to withstand Morokei's magic with just her shield, collapsed on her hands and knees.

"Lydia! No!" Aurelia screamed.

In that instant, Aela saw Aurelia's eyes shift like a light switch from a calculating focus to a primal rage.

Aurelia downed a magicka potion and put up a ward as she charged back down to Morokei with a sword in her hand. Aela continued with her assault, as Faralda had used her boost in magicka to run down and heal Lydia instead of attack. While she was firing powerful arrows at Morokei, she watched as Aurelia assailed him with desperate and furious slashes with her sword. As soon as he wounded her with a lightning spell, Lydia was back up and hacking at him with an axe and Faralda used what little magicka she had left to attack him with flames. Having four threats to deal with, Morokei was quickly overwhelmed and fell.

"Is everyone okay?" Aurelia said breathlessly.

"Yes." Everyone else said, equally breathless.

"Great, I'm going to get the Staff of Magnus, and then let's get the fuck out of here."

Everyone was relieved the battle was over, except for Aela who had one thought on her mind: Aurelia would make a fine werewolf.

 _Author's Note: Ah, how I've missed this! I do apologize for the long absence. Shortly after I posted my last chapter, my boyfriend of six years broke up with me. Needless to say, I was devastated and had little interest in doing anything that didn't involve getting my life back on track, especially write a love story. But, even as I recovered, I found it difficult to get back into the habit of writing. But recently, the universe seemed to be pulling me back towards this, so I went with it._


	16. Chapter 16

After Ancano was defeated, the College went back to normal. Well, as normal as the college could be. Even though Aurelia had been made Arch-mage for her heroism, she could not stay long. She came to get research materials that would help Kodlak cure his lycanthropy, and that's what she intended to do. Not only that, but the First of Morning Star was fast approaching and she needed to prepare for her mission to infiltrate the Thalmor.

She had to admit, the first part of the infiltration was one of the most nerve-wracking events of her life. She had never been a good liar, and if her partner in crime, Malborn, hadn't saved her when Elenwen was questioning her, she didn't know what might have happened. However, after she slipped away, the next part of the mission included fighting her way through the Thalmor, something she was much more comfortable with. She was beginning to think this mission was a waste when she discovered their documents on the dragon investigation. Turns out, they knew about as much as she and Delphine did. That is, until she discovered the document on a Blade named Esbern. He was supposedly a lore master in the Blades, and they were looking for him because they believed he knew about the coming of the dragons. They believed he was hiding out in Riften. After she escaped the embassy and returned to Delphine, she sent Aurelia to Riften right away to look for him.

RIften proved to be even more troubling than the Embassy. Delphine had directed her to a man named Brynjolf, who she believed would know where Esbern was. She found Brynjolf easily enough. In fact, he approached her first in the crowded marketplace of Riften.

"Never done an honest day's work for all the coin you're carrying, eh lass?" He said to her.

Aurelia blinked "What? Erm, are you Brynjolf? Delphine said you were well-connected, I was hoping you could help me find an older gentleman hiding out in Riften?"

"Ah, expecting free information, eh? Help me deal with business first, then we'll see how I can help you. Besides, it looks like your pockets are a little light on coin, am I right?"

Deal with business? Considering this was Riften, she was dreading what kind of business he was expecting her to do "Not really, I'm doing fine on coin. Look, I'm sure you've noticed that dragons have returned to Skyrim, and I'm trying to remedy this situation. Don't you want to help?"

"Don't you want a chance to get in on this golden opportunity?"

Aurelia rolled her eyes. Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as she thought? "Fine, what do you want?"

"I've got a bit of an errand to perform, but I need an extra pair of hands. And in my line of work, extra hands are well-paid."

"What do I need to do?"

"Simple. I'm going to cause a distraction. You're going to steal Madesi's silver ring from a strongbox under his stand. Once you have it, I want you to place it in Brand-Shei's pocket without him noticing."

And it was worse than she thought "There is absolutely nothing simple about that! First of all, I'm terrible at lock-picking and even worse at pickpocketing. Second, what is wrong with you? Why would you do that to someone?"

"Keep your voice down! There's someone who wants to see him put out of business permanently. That's all you need to know." Brynjolf said through gritted teeth.

"Oh, and I suppose you're content to do whatever you're told, as long as you're paid well enough, right? Well I can't live like that. I promised myself years ago that I would never be a slave to the pursuit of money, and I'm certainly not starting now!"

"Well it's a shame you feel that way, because I'm not giving you any information until you do this." He said as he started to walk away.

Aurelia's eye twitched "Fine, I'll do it! But seriously, don't expect anything from me."

"Good, wait until I start the distraction, then show me what you're made of."

Aurelia grumbled and casually made her way over to where Madesi's stand was.

"Everyone! Everyone! Gather round! I have something amazing to show you that demands your attention!"

She would have to make amends to both Madesi and Brand-Shei after this was over, if she even succeeded. Surprise attacking her enemies in a stronghold or ruin was one thing, but slipping into the shadows in a crowded marketplace was a skill she had never honed. Before she even got the first lock open, she was seized by the guards, and everyone in the marketplace was giving her disapproving stares. She tried to hide her face in her arm as they hauled her way.

After she paid the fine, she returned to the marketplace to where Brynjolf was.

"Did you even try?' Brynjolf said.

"No, Brynjolf, I completely humiliated myself on purpose! I told you, I was no good at things like this!" Aurelia hissed sarcastically. Although if she was being honest, she was relieved she failed. She didn't think she could live with herself if she had gotten away with it.

"Take it easy, lass. I guess I was wrong about you. But I suppose I do owe you some information. Meet me in the Ragged Flagon, down in the Ratways."

/

In spite of her failure, Brynjolf kept his word and told her that an old man was living in the Ratway Warrens. She almost felt sorry for this group of thieves who had to hide out in these foul sewers. Almost. She couldn't think of anything more pathetic than sabotaging the lives of others for coin. As much as these people repulsed her, she was grateful for their help, so maybe she wouldn't rat them out.

As she made her way into the Ratway, she saw that the Thalmor were just ahead of her. She quickly sniped them before they could move any farther. She had to move fast. Fortunately, the Thalmor were the biggest obstacles she faced as she made it to what appeared to be a small room with a locked door. She knocked on it.

"Go away!"

"Esbern? Is that you?"

"What? No, I'm not Esbern."

"Oh, for the love of… I don't have time for this! What was it Delphine said? Oh, where were you on the 30th of Frostfall?"

"D-Delphine?"

"That's right, Delphine sent me, we need your help to fight the dragons. Also, the Thalmor are after you."

There was a brief silence before Esbern said "You'd better come in, and tell me how you found me. And what you want. This will just take a moment."

Aurelia rolled her eyes as she listened to chains rattling and locks unclicking. She would have found this level of paranoia unnecessary if she didn't know that the Thalmor were in fact after him.

"There we are. Come in, make yourself at home. Now we can talk."

Aurelia had to admit, he had a pretty nice set up for a fugitive. He had a hearth fire and a cooking pot, a bed and even a dining room table and some chairs, not much different than her own Breezehome.

"So Delphine keeps up the fight after all these years. I thought she'd realize it's hopeless by now. I tried to tell her years ago."

"I assume you mean in regards to the dragons? What makes you say 'it's hopeless'?"

"Haven't you figured it out yet? What more needs to happen before you all wake up and see what's going on. Alduin returns just as the prophecy said."

"I don't believe in prophecies."

"How can you not believe them when it's happening before your very eyes? Alduin, the dragon from the dawn of time who devours the souls of the dead. No one can escape his hunger, here or in the afterlife. Alduin will devour all things. And the world will end. Nothing can stop him. I tried to tell them, they wouldn't listen. Fools, it's all come true. All I could do was watch our doom approach."

Aurelia thought for a moment "Alduin, the dragon who's raising the others?"

"Yes. You see, you know, but you refuse to understand."

Aurelia spoke slowly "And he's going to destroy our entire world?"

"Oh yes, it's all been foretold. The end has begun. Alduin has returned. Only a Dragonborn can stop him. But no Dragonborn has been known for centuries. It seems that the gods have grown tired of us and have left us to our fate, as the plaything of Alduin the World Eater."

World Eater. Where had she heard that phrase before? That's right, the end of the _Book of the Dragonborn_. "The World Eater wakes and the wheel turns upon the last Dragonborn." She felt an uncomfortable jolt throughout her body as she remembered those words. She also remembered the words "When the Dragonborn Ruler loses his throne, and the White Tower falls." That could only mean the displacement of the Septim dynasty and the battle at the White Gold tower that ended the Great War. Maybe there was something to this prophecy.

"So I don't know how you think I can help you." Esbern said.

Aurelia shook herself out of her thoughts "Esbern. I'm Dragonborn. I'd offer to prove it to you by demonstrating a Shout, but I think we'd both agree that it's best if we don't draw attention to ourselves."

"What? You are…? Can it really be true? Dragonborn. Then… then there is hope! The gods have not abandoned us. We must… we must… we must go! Quickly now. Take me to Delphine. We have much to discuss."

/

Aurelia stared at the massive ornate carving that was lit up by her candlelight spell. So this was Alduin's Wall. Esbern had insisted that the secret to their success was here. Considering they had to fight through an entire camp of Forsworn to get there, it had better be.

"OK, here is Alduin." Esbern said as he started examining the wall with a torch in his hand. "This panel goes back to the beginning of time, when Alduin and the Dragon Cult ruled over Skyrim…"

As Esbern interpreted the wall, Aurelia's eyes wandered to the panel on the far right. There was an image of a dragon Shouting at a humanoid figure standing before him and bracing against the Shout. The uncomfortable jolt she felt when she remembered the words of the prophecy came over her again. She figured it was safe to assume that the dragon being depicted was Alduin, which meant the human figure was probably supposed to be her. She took a few steps closer to the panel on the right. The face of Alduin's opponent was covered and the armor that was worn made it impossible to tell the race or gender of the wearer. The Dragonborn could have been anybody on Nirn. So why did it have to be her?

"Do you know anything about a Shout that can knock a dragon out of the sky?" Delphine's voice snapped Aurelia out of her thoughts.

"Huh?"

Delphine glared at her "Have you been paying attention?"

"Of course I have, the ancient Nords used a Shout to take down Alduin. I don't know the Shout, but don't worry, I'm sure the Greybeards do."

"Dammit, I was afraid you were going to say that. I guess there's nothing for it. I hoped to avoid involving them in this, but we have no other choice."

Aurelia tilted her head "Why don't you want to involve the Greybeards?"

"If they had their way, you'd do nothing but sit up on their mountain with them and talk to the sky, or whatever it is they do. The Greybeards are so afraid of power, they won't use it. Think about it, have they tried to stop the civil war? Or done anything about Alduin? No, and they're afraid of you, of your power. Trust me, there is no need to be afraid. Think of Tiber Septim, do you think he would have founded the Empire if he listened to the Greybeards?"

"That may be, but they are knowledgeable and we can use their help." She turned to Esbern "Is there anything else we can learn from the wall?"

"Well, this third panel seems to be about the prophecy."

Aurelia knelt down in front of the human figure in the third panel "So, this is supposed to be me then?"

"Yes, here are the Akaviri, the Blades, you see their distinctive long swords. Now they kneel, their ancient mission fulfilled as the last Dragonborn contends with Alduin at the end of time."

Aurelia put a hand on the stone carving of herself. She felt her palm sweat, even though the stone was cold. As the heat spread throughout the rest of her body, she quickly stood up and turned away from the wall.

"I can't do this right now."

"Can't do what?" Delphine said.

"Look, I'll go to the Greybeards and learn this Shout, I promise, but please just give me a few days to process this. I need some time away."

"What?" Delphine snapped "Do you care about defeating the dragons? We have no time to waste! You need to go now!"

"Why does it matter what I do?" Aurelia hadn't meant to shout, but she couldn't stop the onslaught of her inner turmoil now "It says so right there on the wall, that I will face him, so my choices don't matter. I'll end up in front of him whether I want to or not. None of my choices matter. None of them have ever mattered! All this time I've just been a plaything of fate!" her voice echoed around the chamber.

Delphine and Esbern were silent.

"Besides," Aurelia said. Her voice was softer, but still broken "I have a promise to keep. I promised a friend I'd help him find a cure for his condition. He doesn't have much time left. But I'm almost done, I only need a few days, and then I'll go to High Hrothgar, I promise."

"Fine," Delphine said after a moment of silence.

Aurelia turned and walked quickly towards the exit. She clamped down on her sobs, but let her tears flow freely. They wouldn't understand why she was upset, let alone care. She was just as much of a tool to them as she was to fate itself. She prayed to the gods that Farkas would be at Jorrvaskr when she returned.


	17. Chapter 17

The constant snowfalls that accompanied the end of Morning Star made the hearth of Jorrvaskr even more welcoming. Aurelia knew she could easily return to Breezehome, but it was too lonely there, even with Lydia. Returning to the day to day life of the Companions and being with her friends again was a nice distraction from everything going on in her head, but the person she wanted to see the most wasn't there. They told her Farkas was out on a job but was expected back in a few days.

Any anxiety she had about seeing Farkas again was drowned by her need for him. As much as she appreciated the presence of the other Companions, she couldn't talk to them like she could talk to Farkas. If she told them that it was her destiny to face Alduin, they would be jealous that they weren't the ones who were due such glory. They wouldn't understand how this had shaken her entire worldview.

She found herself studying the book on Daedric curses late at night, since it was the only time Jorrvaskr was quiet enough, not to mention her ever present insomnia would have made it difficult to sleep anyway. On the third night, she finally came across something that she thought she could use. The book explained that if the source of the curse was destroyed, the curse itself would disappear. So what exactly was the source of this curse? The witches cursed them, so would killing them be enough to break the curse? Before she could read further, she heard the door open. She looked up hopefully and smiled when she saw the large, burly silhouette that could only belong to one person.

"Aurelia? You're here?" Farkas said, confused but pleased, as he took off his helmet.

Aurelia smiled warmly at him as relief swept over her "I am. I just got in a few days ago. I was hoping I'd get to see you before I had to leave again."

He started taking off the rest of his armor and let it clatter carelessly on the floor "I've missed you. It feels like it's been forever."

Aurelia sauntered over to him and waited patiently for him to take his armor off. "Did your mission go well?"

"I just had to intimidate someone in Winterwold, nothing I couldn't handle by myself."

"Good."

"What have you been…"

But Aurelia threw her arms around him before he could finish talking. He returned the embrace and rested his cheek on the top of her head. For the first time in days she felt safe and the emotional walls she had been keeping up were quickly worn away. When Farkas felt her body shake with sobs, he lifted his head and tried to look at her face, but he still held her.

"Aurelia? What's wrong?"

"I don't even know where to start." Aurelia said as she tried to keep her sobs subdued.

Farkas took her by the hand and led her to the table. He pulled out two chairs and positioned them so they faced each other. They both sat down and he held her hands as he patiently waited for her to continue.

"Farkas, what do you think guides our lives? Fate or freedom?" Aurelia finally said.

"I don't know, I never really thought about it."

A smile briefly touched her lips. Of course he'd say that. "Well, the answer is fate."

"How do you know that?"

"Because long ago, someone predicted that the World Eater would wreak havoc on the world, and a Dragonborn would stop him. And that's exactly what's happening right now. There is a dragon called Alduin who is raising the other dragons. And then there's me too, the last Dragonborn. And although it hasn't happened yet, I know I will face him. I know I can be a selfish woman, but not so much that I would leave the world to be destroyed when I'm the only one who can stop it. You know, I've often found myself wondering why I came to Skyrim in the first place. I thought it was because I chose to, but apparently it's because I was supposed to fulfill some destiny. Have any of the choices I've made actually been mine? Or is everything predetermined?"

"Maybe it's both?"

"What do you mean?"

"You asked me if you thought our lives were guided by fate or freedom. Well, maybe it's both. Maybe you are destined to defeat Alduin, but that doesn't mean everything in your life is determined by fate. But I don't know, this stuff is too big for me to think about."

"Yeah, me too."

"And I think, even if you are controlled by fate, everything is still yours, you know? The skills you've developed, the things you've done, everything you've experienced, it all belongs to you."

Aurelia squeezed his hand and locked her eyes with his. He truly was amazing. So many of her problems were caused by her habit to overthink everything. The fact that her mind never rested was both a blessing and a curse. But his ability to think simply gave him a wisdom that she could never develop in herself, and she admired him that much more for it. She was almost certain he could see her feelings for him in her eyes, but she no longer cared.

Farkas's heart pounded furiously as he held her gaze. He took a deep breath but his voice still shook slightly "And the feelings I have for you, they belong to you too, not to fate or anything like that."

Aurelia almost turned away to hide her flaming cheeks, but her gaze held fast. She wasn't turning back now. "And what exactly are your feelings for me?"

Farkas said nothing but gently disentangled one of his hands from hers so he could cradle her cheek. He had always been a man of few words, and he decided he'd rather show her how he felt. His warm gaze nearly paralyzed her as he leaned in. She closed her eyes as their lips met. It was as if her body was filled with oil and his kiss was a spark. Unable to control the raging inferno in her body, she wove her fingers through his hair and pulled him deeper into the kiss. He was both surprised and thrilled at her immediate and enthusiastic response. Everything she felt for him that she had been holding back came rushing out, and she was unable and unwilling to stop it. It was the most liberated she had ever felt. Farkas was right, this feeling, this moment, didn't belong to fate, only to them.

It was only a few moments before the distance between them became unbearable, so Aurelia hiked up her dress before straddling him on his chair. Farkas used one arm to crush her body closer to him as they continued their kiss, and rested his other hand on her now exposed leg. He had been longing to touch her intimately like this for so long. The feel of her warm, soft skin enticed him to explore more of her body. Aurelia seemed to sense this as she leaned back so she could undo the bodice that cinched her underdress. His hand crawled further up her torso to find that she wasn't wearing a chest covering. Aurelia let out a shuddering gasp as his hand found her bare breast. Interpreting that as an invitation, he slid his other hand up her dress and grasped her other breast. He could feel the blood rushing between his legs as he fondled her in a place so intimate and feminine. Aurelia could hardly contain her moans as his thumbs tickled her nipples. The fact that she was loving his touch excited him even more.

"Careful, if you keep moaning like that, someone might hear you." Farkas said devilishly.

Aurelia smirked at him. She had to admit, the thought of getting caught sent another rush of heat between her legs. "I guess I'll have to make you moan then."

It had been difficult to ignore his growing excitement for her as it was pressed against her so conspicuously. So she grasped his shoulders grinded slowly but rhythmically against him. A low rumbling moan escaped his lips. She had been longing to hear him moan like that for some time now and she reveled in it. As she gradually increased her speed, his hands dropped from her breasts and grabbed her hips and he guided her movements. Aurelia smirked as his moans were starting to get dangerously loud.

"I want to take you to my room." Farkas said breathlessly, his voice thick with desire.

"Me too." Aurelia panted back.

They disentagled themselves from one another and Aurelia grabbed him by the hand and enthusiastically led him towards the stair case. But just as they were about to head down, someone came through the front door. As the figure moved further inside, the hearth light revealed that it was Skjor. Farkas quickly hid behind her.

"Aurelia, I was actually hoping I'd find you here. Can I speak with you for a moment?" Skjor said.

"Um, can it wait until morning?" she said.

"It's rather urgent, I'd like you to come with me now. And your bodice has come undone, you might want to fix that."

"Er, right, can't imagine how that happened." Aurelia's cheeks flamed as she started lacing it back up.

Farkas and Aurelia exchanged looks.

"I guess I'll catch up with you later then." Aurelia said.

"I'll be waiting."

Aurelia gave him a flirtatious smile before following Skjor out the door.

The cold night did nothing to dull the heat in her body. She didn't know how well she could focus on whatever he had to say with her head swimming like this. She just hoped he would get it over with quickly so she could go back inside and finish what she started.

"Everyone who has worked with you highly praises your skill in battle." Skjor said.

"That's good to hear." Where was he going with this?

Skjor continued "I think it's time we shared a gift with you, something that will make your battle prowess even stronger."

He led her into a small cave underneath the Skyforge. The room had a ceremonial-looking fountain in the middle and a werewolf standing next to it. What in Oblivion was going on?

"I'm glad you came. It's been a long time since we had a heart like yours among our numbers. That pitiful ceremony behind the hall does not befit warriors like us. You are due more honor than some calls and feasting. Aela has agreed to be your forebear."

"You… you're going to turn me?" Aurelia said "Shouldn't the rest of the Circle be here?"

"We do this in secret because Kodlak is too busy trying to throw away this great gift we've been granted. He thinks we've been cursed. But we've been blessed. How can something that gives this kind of prowess be a curse? So we take matters into our own hands. To reach the heights of the Companions, you must join with us in the shared blood of the wolf."

Aurelia really didn't like the idea of going behind Kodlak's back. "I don't know, this seems like a very big commitment."

"We will not force you. But to join the Circle, your blood must be as ours. Besides, aren't you always saying that the more tools you have at your disposal, the more likely you are to win a fight? What better tool than this?" Skjor said.

Aurelia thought for a moment. She had to admit he was right. She remembered the time in Dustman's Cairn when Farkas transformed and slayed five Silver Hands on his own. Having a power like that would certainly come in handy. Besides, she was very close to finding a cure. If she didn't like it, she could always just cure herself. "Very well."

She had a bad feeling in her gut that she couldn't explain, so she ignored it. She watched as Skjor cut Aela's hand and the blood spilled into the fountain.

"Am I supposed to drink that?" Aurelia said as she tried to hide her revulsion.

Skjor nodded. Aurelia dipped her hand in the fountain. She scrunched her face before licking the blood off her fingers. The effect was almost instantaneous. She felt her mind slipping. No, she felt her mind being dragged violently into an abyss so something else could take its place. It was something vicious and terrible that thirsted for blood.

Aela and Skjor watched in satisfaction as Aurelia's limbs and face stretched and grew fur, but their delight was short-lived as they realized that her body wasn't the only thing that transformed. Aurelia launched herself at Skjor and bit down into his shoulder. Aela rushed over and threw herself at Aurelia, knocking her off of Skjor.

"Aurelia! What's wrong with you?" Aela said as she pinned Aurelia to the ground. But Aurelia only snapped her jaws and snarled as she tried to thrash herself out of Aela's grasp. Aela saw none of the intelligence in the beast's eyes that was Aurelia. She knew she had been lost to the beast.

"Aela, get her out of the city!" Skjor said as he hobbled over to the chain release and opened the door for her.

The plethora of new scents got the beast Aurelia's attention as she wiggled free of Aela and bolted for the door. She caught the attention of several guards as they descended upon her, but she swatted them away like flies. When she felt an arrow land in her back, she turned her massive head in the direction of her assailant before launching herself on him. She sank her teeth into the guards arm, and she reveled in the taste of his bloody fresh and the sound of his agonized screams. But her euphoria was short-lived as Aela's massive claw raked her across the face. She let go of the guards mangled arm just before Aela crashed into her. Unable to resist her new and livelier prey, Aurelia chased Aela as she led her straight to the city gates. The guards, not wanting to take on the beasts, opened the doors and the two werewolves dashed out.

Aela led Aurelia out into the plains surrounding Whiterun. When Aurelia caught the scent of a deer, she pounced on it and tore it to shreds. Aela took this moment to catch her breath and wait for Skjor to catch up with her.

"I grabbed some armor for both of you, I'll leave it the Silver Hand hideout, just in case you both turn back before making the assault." Skjor said.

"Skjor, look at her, she's completely lost her mind." Though it was dark out, there was enough moonlight to reveal Aurelia mauling something in the distance. "And you're injured, maybe we should put this little crusade on hold for another night." Aela said.

"It's just a scratch, I'm going on ahead. Just get her to the hideout, I'm sure she'll be fine once she comes to."

Aela nodded grimly "I hope you're right. Be careful, Skjor."

It wasn't difficult to get Aurelia's attention. Keeping her attention, however, was something else entirely, as she was just as easily distracted in her beast form as she was in her human form. She would chase Aela for a minute or two, until she caught the scent of something else and mauled whatever was at the end of her trail. But in spite of her difficult subject, Aela successfully led her to the Silver Hand hideout, and not a moment too soon. When Aela saw that Aurelia was shrinking back down and shedding her fur, she relinquished her beast form as well. She found the armor that Skjor had left them and dressed herself before returning to Aurelia, who had completely returned to her human form, shivering and naked.

"Aela, what happened? Where are we?" Her voice was full of terror as she shakily started to put on the armor Aela handed to her.

"It's ok, Aurelia. The first time is always the most intense. Although you gave us more trouble than anyone else. The next time will be better, I promise."

"No! Please don't make me do it again!" Aurelia shrieked.

"Shh, it's ok, I won't make you do anything. Besides, you can't transform right now anyway, you can only do it once a day. We're at a Silver Hand hideout, Skjor went on ahead of us. We're going to slaughter all of them, do you think you can handle this?"

Aurelia nodded as she got up, now fully dressed. Any terror she had felt was washed away by the excitement of slaughter to come. Initially, Aela was thrilled to see Aurelia's enthusiasm. She had been worried about her, and it made her happy to see that she was acting like her former self. That is, until it became clear that she wasn't acting like her former self. When Aela had fought alongside her in Labyrinthian, she was fierce, focused and always had a plan. This time, while she was equally fierce, she would rush headlong into battle with a glazed over look in her eyes. She knew that there were many werewolves that couldn't separate the beast from themselves, but she never imagined that Aurelia would be one of them. But she squashed any worries she had. Eyes on the prey, not the horizon. She would figure out how to deal with Aurelia when they made it out of here. When they had finished slaughtering everyone in the keep, they found one extra corpse lying on the floor in the last chamber.

"Bastards! Somehow they managed to kill Skjor!" Aela's voice trembled in both anger and anguish as she knelt next to him. "He was one of the strongest we had, but numbers can overwhelm. He should not have come without a Shield-Brother, especially with that injury."

"What? I'll kill them all!" Aurelia snarled as she paced around the room "Do you know where they have another hideout? Ah, it doesn't matter, I'm going to search the bodies for any information."

"Aurelia, go back to Jorrvaskr and rest, I'll search the bodies for our next target." And then she noticed Aurelia's left arm flinched every time she touched something as she rummaged through the corpses. "Is your wrist broken?"

"Probably, but it's my magic hand, so I should be fine. Oh look, in this journal, it says that they have a fragment of Wuuthrad. I'm going after it." Aurelia ran off in the direction of the exit with the journal.

"Aurelia! Stop! Do you want to end up like Skjor? Don't go without a shield-sibling!"

"Don't worry, I'll avenge Skjor and bring that fragment back."

"That's not what I said! Please come back!"

But Aurelia was already out the door. Aela chased after her, but by the time she got out, Aurelia was already gone and she had no idea where she went.


	18. Chapter 18

Farkas hadn't realized he fell asleep until he woke up. As the fog of sleep cleared from his mind, the events of last night came back to him. He and Aurelia were getting intimate and he was about to take her to his room so they could get even more intimate. That's when Skjor stopped her and took her outside to talk. And then he waited for a few hours until he fell asleep. His stomach clenched. Had she ghosted him? No, that couldn't be it. He could tell she was thoroughly enjoying their time together, and she wasn't the kind of person who would fake something like that. Thinking about her enthusiasm almost got him to rise again. Then his stomach clenched even harder. It seemed more likely that something had happened to her. What would Skjor want to talk to her about anyway? He figured there was no use thinking about it, so he got up to find her, or at least find someone who knew where she was.

The dining area was empty, save for Tilma quietly sweeping in the corner. He expected as much, since it was still early. He was grateful that Tilma had already served breakfast and he sat down and nibbled on a piece of bread and waited until someone emerged. He didn't have to wait long, as Aela came through the front door, looking distressed. He gulped uncomfortably. He had known Aela for a long time and she was not a woman who was easily rattled.

"Farkas, you're here. Good. Get the rest of the Circle together."

"Is something wrong?"

She let out a heavy sigh "A lot is wrong. Get Kodlak and Vilkas and meet me in the underforge. They should hear this too."

He gave her a concerned look before making his way to the basement to find his brother and Kodlak. He led them to the underforge as Aela instructed. Her intense story quickly captured the attention of the men who had been resting mere moments ago.

"…and then she just took off. I have no idea where she went, so I came back here."

"I… I can't believe Skjor is gone." Kodlak said heavily.

"I know, and if we're not careful, we're going to lose Aurelia too. It's strange, I've never seen anyone react so badly to the beast blood. But I'm sure we can get her used to it with the proper training." Aela said.

"If she was in tears at the mere thought of turning again, as you said, perhaps we should work even harder to find a cure." Kodlak said.

Aela bit her lip in indignation. It was no secret that she thought of the beast blood as a blessing, as opposed to the others in her presence.

"Kodlak is right, if she's as out of control as you say she is, she is a danger to everyone, and she risks exposing our secret." Vilkas said.

"We'll talk to her when she comes back." Aela said.

"If she comes back." Vilkas said.

Farkas slammed a fist on the wall before turning towards the door to the underforge. He had been quiet during this meeting, as he often was, and his outburst startled everyone. Both Aela and Kodlak gave Vilkas a pointed look.

"She was going to get a fragment of Wuuthrad, right?" Vilkas said quickly, realizing his mistake. "Then of course she'll be back. She has no personal use for it, so she'd have to bring it back here."

"Still, I'm going to find her." Farkas said.

"Farkas, if I knew where she was, I would have gone after her myself." Aela said.

"The only thing we can do now is wait." Kodlak confirmed. "Vilkas is right, she will come back."

"Aurelia once told me that the only thing she was afraid of was losing her mind, losing control of herself. And now she has. It feels wrong to just stand here and do nothing." Farkas said as he continued making his way back to the top.

Vilkas started to go after him, but Kodlak put a hand on his arm. "Let him go."

When Farkas entered Jorrvaskr, he glanced at the turned-to-the-side chair by the dining table that they had embraced on. He sighed heavily and told himself that that would not be their last encounter. She would come back, and he would see her again. That's when something on the table near the chair caught his eye. As he walked closer, he saw that it was an open book and a journal; a rare sight in Jorrvaskr. It must have been Aurelia's. The book was called "On Daedric Curses" and while the notes were hard to understand, they seemed to be about the Companion's curse. That's right, she was working on a cure. He couldn't tell how close she was to breaking it, but maybe Kodlak or Vilkas could understand these notes? Lit up by hope, he grabbed the book and her notes and rushed back out to the underforge. It looked like everyone was just finishing up their conversation and starting to leave.

"Kodlak, I think we can save her, I think she was close to figuring out how to break the curse."

Kodlak looked at the notebook and book. He looked up to Farkas hopefully "I think you're right, boy, I won't waste any time. Vilkas, will you work with me?"

He nodded.

/

Farkas waited by the city gates, simply because he was too anxious to do anything else, and he knew he wouldn't be any help finding the cure. Relief swept over him when he saw the familiar form coming towards the gates the next morning, but it was quickly shattered when he saw the condition she was in. Her left arm was clearly still broken. Her tan skin was now pale and covered in blood. She was limping and he couldn't tell if the shadows under her eyes were due to fatigue or bruising. Yet, even more disturbing than any of that were her twitching, bloodshot feral eyes, that made her look like she could pounce at any second. But of course, that still didn't stop him from rushing over to her.

"Aurelia, where were you?"

"I got the fragment of Wuuthrad! It was at Broken Helm Hollow, just southeast of Riften."

Farkas wrapped her right arm around him so she could use him as a crutch as they walked back to Jorrvaskr. "Riften? How did you get all the way out there and back so fast?"

"Fast? It felt like forever."

"Didn't you stop to rest at all?"

Aurelia laughed "Of course not! I had work to do. Besides, if I rest, then the beast that lives inside my head would eat me."

"Come on, let's get you inside."

Fortunately, it was still early enough that not many citizens of Whiterun were out and about yet. Farkas was sure she'd garner attention with the state she was in, especially with her babbling like this.

"You know, your survival instinct is a really amazing thing. It makes you face your deepest fears, even when you'd rather not be alive. Funny, I always thought I was above the fear of death. I guess I was wrong. I rushed in too quickly, there were more of them than I thought. I had been shot at, and I knew I couldn't take them all on alone, but she could. That's when she spoke to me, no, screamed at me. I guess she wanted to live too. So I let her eat me again. Aela said it would be better the second time, I'd be in control. But I wasn't. When I had control of my body again, the gore was horrible, entrails torn out, cracked skulls with brain matter oozing out. I think some of them were missing their hearts. I must have eaten them. She must have. But it's still my body. I threw up many times. I could even throw up now, just thinking about it."

"It's ok, we're going to get you back to Jorrvaskr, and then we'll go get Danica Pure-Springs to have a look at you."

Aurelia stopped in her tracks "What? You can't do that! If you go get her, she'll make me rest. And if I rest, she'll eat me again! I only came back to give you the fragment of Wuuthrad. I have to kill more Silver Hands!"

"Aurelia, have you seen yourself? You're horribly injured. You can't fight anyone like this. If you do, you'll die."

"These are only flesh wounds, I can handle these. What I can't handle is what will happen if she eats me again! If that's the case, maybe it's best if I die."

She started pulling away from him, but Farkas was bigger and stronger and he held fast.

"Don't say things like that. I'm not going to let you leave like this." Farkas started pulling her up the stairs to Jorrvaskr.

"Let me go!" She screamed.

Fortunately, they were now close enough to Jorrvaskr that Aurelia's screaming was able to attract the attention of the residents inside. Aela and Ria came running out.

"Aurelia? You're back!" Aela said with conspicuous relief.

"By the Gods! Rey, what happened to you?" Ria exclaimed when she saw Aurelia's condition.

"Aela! Help me get her into the underforge! Ria, go get Danica Pure-Springs!"

Ria ran off in the direction of the Temple of Kynareth, and Aela ran to open the door to the underforge for Farkas. Aurelia was still screaming and resisting. She tried to shoot flames from her hand, but her broken arm choked the magicka and the flames spluttered. As soon as they were inside and the door was closed, Farkas released Aurelia but stayed in front of the door. She unsheathed her sword and raised it.

"Move out of the way, Farkas!"

"Or what?"

He took out his own sword he quickly blocked Aurelia's blade. She was hardly a challenge in this state. Her grip on her sword was weak and she was quickly disarmed. She tried hurling flames again, but she lost control and only ended up burning her own hand. She shrieked and cradled her damaged arm. Farkas had never been an emotional man, but seeing the woman he loved broken in so many ways was almost enough to make him cry. Fortunately, the door opened and Aela entered with Danica Pure-Springs before he could lose control.

"By the gods! What happened to her?" Danica said as she approached her patient.

Aurelia crawled over to the sword that had been disarmed from her and clumsily waved it at Danica "Get away!"

Danica stopped "Why is she acting this way?"

"Um, skooma." Aela said quickly.

"Can you help her?" Farkas said.

"I'll have to sedate her. Can you two hold her down?" She said as she grabbed a potion from her medicine bag.

Aurelia dropped her sword as Aela and Farkas each took an arm to restrain her. Danica forced the potion down her mouth and Aurelia felt her limbs tense up at once.

 _I can free us from this prison, your body is weak, mine is strong, set me free!_

 _No! This is my body! My mind! I won't let you hurt anyone! Especially not Farkas!_

 _Ha! You have already hurt him! Did you not just raise your sword to him a moment ago? Do you think he'll ever trust you again?_

That brief moment of hesitation was enough for Aurelia to lose control and the beast to take over. For the third time, Aurelia was swallowed up in her own mind and her body transformed. Danica drew back as she watched the transformation in horror.

"What in Oblivion is this?" Danica shrieked.

This was really bad, Farkas thought. If she could break through the paralysis potion, he could think of only one way to stop her. As soon as he caught the first signs of her transformation, he began his own. Danica fled in terror as the two werewolves faced each other. As soon as Danica was out the door, Aela closed it and transformed herself. Aurelia lunged at them, but her movements were stiff as the paralysis potion seemed to have some effect. She was quickly pinned by the two stronger and healthier werewolves.

"How long do you expect to keep her pinned like this?" Aela shouted over Aurelia's howling.

"As long as it takes." Farkas said as he avoided the snapping of Aurelia's jaws.

"And then what do we do?" Aela said.

"I don't know." Farkas said after a beat.

Due to her weakness, Aurelia was unable to maintain her wolf form for very long. Farkas and Aela released theirs as well. Aela got up wordlessly to look for some clothes for all of them, but Farkas remained on top of her. The intelligence returned to her eyes, but the pain remained and they quickly filled with tears.

"Farkas, please kill me." Aurelia said, her voice choked with sobs.

"I can't do that." Farkas said, his voice thick from trying to restrain his own sobs.

"Yes you can, you'd be doing me a favor. Every moment of my existence is agonizing."

"The world needs you, I need you." Farkas felt a tear escape his eye.

"The world can find another way to deal with Alduin, and you have plenty of other people who have your back. I'm at my most lucid immediately after a transformation, kill me before I start fighting back."

"That won't be necessary." Vilkas said.

Neither had noticed that the door had opened. Vilkas respectfully averted his eyes from their naked forms. Aela had just returned and handed Farkas some clothes and then went over to Aurelia to help her get dressed.

"What won't be necessary?" Farkas said as he started to put on his pants.

"Kodlak and I found a cure, thanks to Aurelia's previous efforts, she can be saved. But we have work to do. We must journey to the Glenmoril cave, but it won't be an easy task. Will you accompany me?"

Farkas looked at Aurelia "I don't think I should leave her alone."

"It's ok. Please, just keep me locked up in here. Chain me to the wall, I don't care, Just don't let me escape again."

"Go, Farkas, I'll stay here and look after her." Aela said.

Farkas nodded to Aela and then turned to Vilkas "Ok, I'll be ready to leave soon."


	19. Chapter 19

The journey to Glenmoril cave was mostly quiet. Farkas and Vilkas hardly spoke a word to each other on the way to Falkreath, and then again the next day when they left Falkreath for the cave. Both of them were aware of the strain on their relationship that had been in place since Aurelia showed up. However, Vilkas was starting to feel that it was completely unnecessary, and if he was being honest, he missed his brother. It was wrong for twins to fight this long. Although, now that he thought about, they weren't really fighting. They'd simply both been busy with other things too long to make amends. By the time Vilkas spoke, they were already fairly close to the cave.

"So, are you going to cure yourself as well?"

"I don't know, probably. I mean, I didn't think too much about it, because I didn't think it was possible. What about you?"

"I'm certain I will. I wouldn't mind feeling like a man again, instead of a monster."

"Yeah, but sometimes I worry that I won't recognize myself when I do. We've had the beast blood since we were teenagers. We're thirty now, that's almost half our lives. I know it will change me, I just hope it's for the better."

Vilkas furrowed his brow at his brother "Since when do you think about things like this?"

Vilkas was worried that he had just insulted his intelligence, but he was relieved when he heard him chuckle instead "I guess she's starting to rub off on me, Aurelia I mean. I always thought she thought too much about everything, but now I'm starting to do it." Farkas turned to face him "Do you still hate her?"

Vilkas shook his head "No, I suppose I don't, not after everything she's done for us. We wouldn't even be talking about curing ourselves if it wasn't for her. And not after everything she's been through, after everything she's still going through. No one deserves to suffer like she is. You were right, she is honorable. I just didn't see it. I just thought you were defending her because you had become infatuated with her."

Farkas chuckled "Well, you weren't wrong, and I still am."

"She loves you too, you know, even if she hasn't said it yet, I can tell."

Farkas blushed. "I think I see the cave. Are you ready?"

Vilkas nodded "You better be, too. Only a fool underestimates a hagraven, especially a whole den of them."

"Right. After all this is over, I should get back to training every day, but I could use a partner, if you want to help with that."

Vilkas tried to hide his smile "I'd be happy to."

/

Shortly after Farkas and Vilkas left, Aurelia was secured to the wall of the underforge using Skyforge steel chains. The humiliation was bearable compared to her mental anguish. She longed for rest more than she ever had in her life. But her thrashing mind wouldn't allow it, and keeping her immobile seemed to make her mind even more agitated. She didn't know how long she could last before she would break entirely.

Aela kept her word and scarcely left her side. Aela rarely felt guilt, but the gnawing voice in her head that told her that this was all her fault didn't go away no matter what she did. Feeding her, keeping her company and even helping her go to the bathroom seemed like poor recompense for everything she was going through. She only hoped that Aurelia could forgive her after she got through this. If she got through this. Although she certainly couldn't ask for her forgiveness now. Aurelia seemed to lose more and more of her grip on reality with every hour. First she babbled about advanced alchemical theories that went completely over her head. Then she went on about all the different and gruesome ways she would kill the Silver Hand. Then she stopped using real words. She was relieved when Aurelia finally let her insanity get to her and allowed a transformation. She thrashed against the chains, but they held fast. When she transformed back, she retrieved Danica so that she could treat her wounds while she was still lucid enough to accept it, after swearing her to secrecy of course. And then the cycle repeated.

"I'm sorry to put you through this." Aurelia said after coming back from her second transformation.

"You're sorry? I should be apologizing to you. This would never have happened if I didn't turn you." Aela said as she started dressing Aurelia in crude rags.

"You couldn't have known this would happen. How could you? Everyone else in the Companions transformed just fine except for me. There must be something wrong with me."

"I have a theory as to why that might be." Kodlak's voice said from the entrance to the underforge "May I come in? I thought you could use some company."

"Yes, thank you. Please come in." Aurelia said.

"I'll leave you two alone then. I think a bit of fresh air would do me some good." Aela said as she walked out the door.

"So you think you know why the beast blood affects me differently?"

"The beast blood is a stimulant. From what I know of you, you have a natural high energy. It is why you have always had trouble sleeping, isn't it? Adding the beast blood to your natural high energy would overstimulate you to the point of, well, this."

"That makes sense, I wish I had that of that. I haven't been able to rest even a little bit since I first took the blood. My mind has been weakening by the day. I fear that if this keeps up, it will be too late for me. My mind will break completely, and I'll die. Did you know that it is possible to die from sleep deprivation?"

"I did." Kodlak said sadly "But I have faith in Farkas and Vilkas. Eorland is already preparing for Wuuthrad to be reforged. After Farkas and Vilkas return with the Glenmoril witches' heads, we will use Wuuthrad to open the door to Ysgramor's tomb, and we will throw the witches' heads into Ysgramor's flame and that should release their magic."

"Ah, so that's how it's done. But how are we going to get me safely to Ysgramor's tomb?"

"Hm, I haven't figured that out yet. We have time, what do you think we should do?"

"Kodlak! We're under attack!" Aela's shout interrupted them as she came through the door.

Kodlak turned to face her "What? By who?"

"I think it's the Silver Hand."

Kodlak unsheathed his sword "We'll have to continue this conversation later."

/

Aurelia's beast bloodlust fought with her rational mind. She could hear the battle outside, and she wanted to join it, but she knew she couldn't break free of these chains even in wolf form, she had tried. While the battle outside probably only lasted about fifteen minutes, it felt much longer as the battle inside her own mind raged. She was just starting to feel her lucidity slip away when the noises outside stopped and Aela returned looking grim.

"Aurelia, Kodlak was killed." Aela's voice was heavy.

All the noise inside Aurelia's head stopped at these words, but Aela kept talking.

"Not only that, but they've stolen the fragments of Wuuthrad and we don't know where they went. We can't cure you without it. I… I'm so sorry about everything that's happened. That being said, I'd be willing to help you with something, if you want. The other day when you asked Farkas to kill you, he couldn't do it. But I could. It's the least I can do after everything that's happened. Just let me know what you want."

Aurelia hung her head and closed her eyes. Death beckoned her with its promise of darkness, silence, and relinquishment of pain. When she parted her lips to speak, to tell Aela to do it, she felt phantom lips on hers. Why was the memory with Farkas a few nights ago suddenly coming back to her now? She could still taste his hot breath, the warmth of his arms around her, but more than anything, she remembered how alive she felt. And with this, images began flashing through her mind. She saw Ria, Athis and Torvar training in the yard with Vilkas instructing them. She saw Lydia sitting in Breezehome, sharpening her sword. She saw Faralda teaching a class on destruction to Brelyna, Onmund and J'zargo. She saw Dreyla and Modyn smiling at each other from across a table in the Retching Netch. She saw Frea proudly fulfilling her role as Shaman of the Skaal. She saw Fastred in Dawnguard armor, with a bow in hand, growing stronger every day. All these people were alive, and unknowingly beckoning her to be alive with them.

And that's when she remembered. When she was in Broken Helm Hollow, she went through some of the documents, and they mentioned their main base was in Driftshade Refuge. That had to be where they took the fragments. She opened her eyes and looked at Aela with determination.

"I'll die someday, but today isn't that day. I'm pretty sure I know where they took the fragments. I'll go get them."

Aela's lips briefly quirked into a smile "I like your determination, but you're still injured."

"Kodlak has been killed, I am filled with a rage that will only eat me alive if I do nothing about it. Let me avenge him and wipe out the Silver Hand once and for all so we never lose another member of our family again! And I was hoping you'd come with me. I may be slowly going insane, but I have also decided I want to live, and I know that doing this alone would be suicidal. When we get the fragments, I'll go straight to Ysgramor's tomb, and you can bring the fragments back here to be reforged, then you can meet me there."

"I thought you just decided you wanted to live, why would you go to Ysgramor's Tomb by yourself?"

"Since transporting me is troublesome, I was hoping not to do any more than necessary. And besides, I was hoping we could also bring someone else, one of the whelps maybe?"

"But then we'd reveal our secret to them."

"We've just been attacked by werewolf hunters, they're going to start asking questions anyway. They deserve to know why we've just been attacked."

"You're right, Athis got pretty badly injured, but anyone else should be ok. We'll start making preparations."


	20. Chapter 20

When Farkas and Vilkas returned to Jorrvaskr, they immediately went to the underforge to check on Aurelia, only to find it empty.

"Do you think she escaped?" Farkas said, trying to keep the panic from showing in his voice.

Vilkas walked up to the wall where the chains hung down and inspected them "The chains have been unshackled, not broken, which means someone freed her."

"Why would someone do that?"

"I don't know, but we should find someone who does."

They rounded to the back to check the training yard. When they found that no one was there either, they went inside only to find the main hall was empty except for Vignar and Brill.

"Where is everyone?" Vilkas said as he approached the two men sitting at the table, Farkas following behind him.

"Most of them are out hunting down the fragments of Wuuthrad that were stolen from us." Vignar said.

"What? When did this happen?" Vilkas said.

"Yesterday. The dark elf is downstairs being taken care of by Stonearm. The rest are out wiping out the Silver Hand. Except Kodlak." Vignar took a deep breath before continuing "He didn't survive the battle."

The twins looked at each other, their faces mirrors of shock and anguish. Farkas recovered his ability to speak first, but his voice cracked.

"What about Aurelia? Where is she?"

"She joined the mission to retrieve the fragments. Actually, I think she's leading it, since she's the only one who knew where they went."

"Where is Kodlak's body now?" Vilkas said.

"He's being kept in the Temple of Arkay for now, if you want to pay your respects. When the others come back, we will have a ceremony and have him cremated at the forge."

"Thank you, Vignar." Vilkas turned toward the door and Farkas followed him.

They spoke not a word as they headed for the Temple of Arkay. After asking the priest of Arkay to see him, more silence followed. The two had seen their fair share of death in their life, some of them close friends, but looking at the too-still body of the man who practically raised them was a jarring experience. Once again, Farkas broke the silence first.

"I can't believe we were too late. We were so close, all he wanted was to be free of the beast, and we couldn't give it to him."

Vilkas put a hand on Farkas's shoulder "During our research, we discovered a way that he could be saved even in death. As long as we get Wuuthrad back, they can both be saved, Kodlak and Aurelia."

Farkas nodded "That's good to hear. Still, I'm going to miss him."

Vilkas sighed and squeezed his shoulder "Yeah, me too. But we both knew his time was coming soon. I think he would have preferred it this way anyway, defending his family instead of lying sick in bed waiting for death to come."

A smile briefly touched Farkas's lips "You're right. Well, I'm ready to go home if you are."

/

Aela arrived back at Jorrvaskr the next day, her satchel clinking with the fragments of Wuuthrad. Vilkas and Farkas greeted her at the door.

"Aela? I trust your mission was successful?" Vilkas said.

She handed him the satchel "I have the fragments and the Silver Hand won't be troubling us anymore."

"Why are you the only one who returned?" Farkas said "Don't tell me the others are…"

"No, they're all fine. I was afraid that Aurelia's bloodlust would keep her from maintaining control, but we managed to turn it into an advantage. She drew everyone's attention while the rest of us attacked from behind, but she isn't looking good. Ria and Torvar escorted her to Ysgramor's Tomb, and they are waiting for us there, so we must not delay."

Vilkas nodded "Kodlak's funeral will be held in a few hours. Eorland was planning on using the flames from the ceremony to reforge Wuuthrad. It should be ready by morning."

In a few hours, as the sun began dipping on the western horizon, many citizens of Whiterun came by to pay their respects. In spite of half the town showing up for the funeral, it felt empty, Farkas thought. Ria, Torvar and Aurelia should be here. They were more family to Kodlak than most of the people here. Not only that, but he also wished Aurelia in particular was there for emotional support. When he watched Aela light the fire under Kodlak's body, he clenched his fist, wishing Aurelia's hand was in his. But he understood. Moving her from place to place in her condition was risky, and making the extra trip here could have cost her life. It was better for her not to attend the funeral if it meant reducing the risk of preparing one for her as well.

As the guests started to disperse, Farkas started to make his way back down when Eorland stopped him.

"Farkas, I have a favor to ask."

"What is it?"

"There is one more fragment of Wuuthrad in Kodlak's chambers, could you fetch it for me?"

Farkas nodded and continued his descent. When he made it to Kodlak's chambers, his body went numb with the realization that he would never find Kodlak here again. But he quickly shook those thoughts away. He had to save Aurelia. He opened the bedside dresser drawer and found the fragment, and also a journal. He opened it to the first page.

 _In my dream, I see the line of Harbingers start with Ysgramor. Each of them ascends to Sovngarde, until we come to Terrfyg, who first turned us to the ways of the beast. He tries to enter Sovngarde, but before he can even approach Tsun, he is set upon by a great wolf, who pulls him into the Hunting Grounds, where Hircine laughs with welcoming arms._

 _Terrfyg seems regretful, but also eager to join Hircine after a lifetime of service as a beast._

 _Then I see every next Harbinger turn away from Sovngarde and enter the Hunting Grounds of their own accord. Until it comes to me, and I see great Tsun on the misty horizon, beckoning me. It appears I have a choice. And then, at my side, a stranger I had not seen before. As I look into her eyes, we turn to see the same wolf who dragged away Terrfyg, and she and I draw weapons together._

 _I realize this is only a dream, but a strong enough dream to inspire a man like me to take to writing, so it must be of some import._

Farkas wondered if it was inappropriate of him to read Kodlak's private thoughts, but it was too interesting to ignore. Kodlak never mentioned such a dream to him. As he read on, it was revealed that Aurelia was the stranger in his dream. So it would seem that Aurelia was destined to meet the Companions, although he probably wouldn't tell her this, since she didn't like the idea of being controlled by destiny. The rest was stuff he pretty much already knew, until he got to the part about naming a successor.

 _I have received few dreams over the course of my life, but when they come, I have learned to trust them. I have also learned to trust the instincts of my heart, which tells me that Aurelia can carry the Companions legacy as truly as any residing in Jorrvaskr, especially with the loss of Skjor. Aela is too solitary, Vilkas too fiery, and Farkas too kind-hearted. Only Aurelia stands as a true warrior who can keep a still mind amidst these burning hearts. Even as her mind is overwhelmed by the beast blood, she manages to show clear judgement. It's strange, I never thought I'd name as magic user as my successor, yet I cannot deny that it was her knowledge in magic that saved us. I also must admit that her dedication to it in a group of people who would shun her for it as admirable. But more than anything, she has grown more as a person than anyone else in the Companions. When she came to us, she was selfish and unruly and now she is a woman of great honor and she has captured the respect of everyone in these halls. Even Vilkas, though he is loathe to admit it._

 _I will not speak to her of any of this, though. It is too much to burden another with. My hope is that Aurelia and I can keep counsel over the coming years, that I can impart the wisdom of the Harbingers. All things in time._

Farkas closed the journal, as that was the last entry. He wondered how she would feel about this, being named as the successor. But he could wonder later. Eorland had waited long enough for the final fragment.

/

As planned, Farkas, Vilkas and Aela left for Ysgramor's tomb the next day. It was a long journey and in spite of their impatience, they weren't able to make it there until the next morning. When they were close to the tomb, they saw a figure chopping wood not far from a tent. As they drew closer, they saw that it was Torvar.

"I'm glad you all finally made it." Torvar said.

"How is she doing?" Farkas said.

Torvar pressed his lips into a straight line "She's inside if you want to see her."

Farkas entered the tent and saw that Aurelia was chained to the pole that held up the tent, and she was chewing on the chains. Ria was nearby tending the fire.

"Rey, stop doing that, you're going to break your teeth!"

"I have to, since you won't let me drink blood!"

Ria sighed and turned to Farkas "You're here, good. I trust you've come prepared to deal with this?"

Farkas nodded and then knelt down to look into Aurelia's eyes. Her eyes seemed to be sunken into her sockets and were blank and listless. He stroked her cheek "It's ok, it's almost over." He removed her from the pole and led her outside. Ria followed them.

"We can probably get through quicker if the two of you join us." Vilkas said to Torvar and Ria "Are you up for it?"

"Are you kidding? I've been cooped up in there all day babysitting her, of course I want to join!" Ria said.

"Same." Torvar nodded.

The group made their way inside the tomb, Farkas keeping the still chained Aurelia close. They were greeted by a large stone statue of Ysgramor in the first chamber. Farkas stared up at him, lips parted slightly. He was actually at the final resting place of the father of the Companions. But he didn't get to revel in this feeling of awe for very long as he felt a sharp pain in his hand.

"Ouch, what the…?" Farkas looked down and saw that Aurelia had bitten down on his hand. He quickly shook her off.

"Sorry, but you're made of blood." She licked what little blood she drew from him from her lips.

Farkas sighed heavily. This is almost over, he told himself. And then his eyes widened "Vilkas, you said it would be quicker if Ria and Torvar joined us, are we expecting trouble?"

Vilkas was in the middle as placing Wuuthrad into the statue Ysgramor's hands "Unfortunately, this tomb is probably going to be guarded by the phantoms of past Companions. They are going to test our skills as we go through." Vilkas hopped off the statue pedestal and the door behind him swung open.

Farkas huffed a sigh and indicated Aurelia "Great, so what do we do with her?"

"Bring her with, even in this state, she can be helpful on the battlefield as long as we watch her back." Aela said.

"Alright, but let's move quickly." Farkas said as he started to unbind Aurelia.

Sure enough, as they started to move down a corridor, they spotted a skeever, and before it could even pounce in their direction, Aurelia threw a firebolt at it. But that was the limit of her usefulness on the battlefield. When they reached the phantoms, everyone battled except her. "What's the fun in killing fleshless phantoms?" was all she said. Farkas, however, was relieved that she didn't feel the urge to fight them and risk further injury. Still, the Aurelia he knew would have gladly fought by their sides. He would occasionally glance back at her and look into those blank, glazed over eyes and wonder if there was anything left of her mind.

As they moved further, he started to be aware of cobwebs lacing the walls. His skin crawled. Aurelia seemed to notice them too, and she rushed forward, hands alight with flame.

"What are you doing?" Torvar called after her.

"I have to kill the spiders!" Aurelia shrieked.

As soon as the first spider turned the corner she hurled her flame into its many-eyed face. It didn't take long for the others to back her up and slay the rest of them.

"Farkas hates spiders." Aurelia said before moving on.

Some of the tension in Farkas's heart released. If she remembered how much he hated spiders, the woman he loved was still there in the mangled mess that she had become. Still, the battle through the tomb felt longer than he would have liked, but in time, the group made it through and found the flame that would release them as well as another surprise waiting for them.

"Kodlak? Is that really you?" Vilkas said as he slowly approached the spirit by the flame.

"Yes, and I've been waiting for all of you."

"Kodlak, it's good to see you, sorry we couldn't make it to your funeral." Torvar said.

Kodlak chuckled "I'm glad you and Ria decided to look after Aurelia instead. Speaking of…" he said as he glanced over and took in her sorry state "We shouldn't waste any more time. Quickly, throw one of the heads into the fire. That should release the wolf spirit, at least for her."

Aela procured one of the heads from her satchel and placed it in her hands.

"Finally, some blood!" Aurelia said.

Farkas placed his hands over hers and guided her over to the flame before she could do anything stupid. He wrenched her hands away and the head fell into the flames. The fire sizzled and crackled as it drew out a mass of spirit from Aurelia. Farkas caught her under her arms and dragged her away from the flame before she collapsed. The mass of spirit took the form of a wolf and let out a furious snarl that echoed throughout the chamber. Vilkas and Torvar clenched their swords in their hands and Aela and Ria drew back their bows and took aim. They all wore matching determined smirks on their faces. They were ready for a fight.

The fog in Aurelia's mind lifted and was instead replaced by a dark vortex that threatened to pull her down. What lay at the bottom, she did not know, and she wasn't ready to find out. She pushed her eyelids open and took in the scene before her. A phantom wolf stood a few yards ahead of her, and Vilkas was meeting it head-on, sword in hand. Torvar was attacking its flank and Ria and Aela were pelting it with arrows from afar. Ah, so that's why she had no strength; the one thing that was keeping her broken body standing was gone.

Wait, if she had no strength left, how was she standing right now? She tilted her head back and saw that Farkas was holding her, his face fixed intensely on the fight before them. The dark vortex of exhaustion was tugging on her even harder, and she knew she couldn't resist it forever. The vortex was darker than a moonless night and stronger than a mammoth, and she didn't know whether or not she would return once it overtook her. He had to know how she felt about him before she let that happen. Sure, they had been physically intimate, but she had done that with strangers she had met in a tavern. This was different.

A cry of pain broke her train of thought. Vilkas had been struck across the face by the phantom wolf, and droplets of blood sprayed into the air. This wasn't right. This wolf was her burden, and she wasn't about to let her shield-siblings fight this battle for her. Besides, this was the thing that tormented her endlessly for days. She wanted to return the suffering.

She looked back up at Farkas. A hoarse sound escaped from her lips and that was enough to get his attention. When his silver-blue eyes were locked with hers she spoke. Her voice was strained, but her words were unmistakable.

"I love you."

Before she could gauge his reaction, she pushed herself out of his arms and conjured a flame in both hands. She brought them together and hurled the mass of fire at the face of the wolf. It let out one last pained howl before disintegrating. Satisfied that she had delivered the final blow, she smirked and let the black vortex suck her in and her eyelids dropped like a curtain. Her knees clattered painfully on the stone floor, but she was unconscious by the time her head hit.

"Aurelia!" Farkas ran to her side.

The other Companions gathered around her as well.

"Damn, she really is something else!" Torvar said.

"She's still breathing." Aela said to Farkas. She could practically see his heart beating desperately against his chest.

"I don't sense her coming over to my side, she'll be fine. She just needs rest, and lots of it." Kodlak said.

Farkas picked her up, pulled her close and whispered "I love you too, you idiot."

"Vilkas, let's see to that wound." Aela said as she turned around.

"It's just a scratch, I'm fine." Vilkas said.

"Don't be stubborn boy," Kodlak scolded, but with affection "You still have one more beast spirit to fight. Rest up a moment, then after the fight is over, we must discuss the future of the Companions before I go."


	21. Chapter 21

When Aurelia could feel her body again, the first thing she became aware of was softness and warmth. As much as she wanted to remain in this pleasant state, her reawakening consciousness forced her to open her eyes. There was enough light for her to determine that she was in her bed at Breezehome. Though the rising sun had not yet pierced the horizon, the steel-colored sky told her that dawn was approaching. Her memories came back in fragments. Though some were irretrievable due to her state of mind at the time of them, she recalled enough to remember that she had just gone through a terrifying ordeal. So after all that, she was alive. She smiled at the thought. But her smile fell shortly after. Of course she survived. She was destined to face Alduin, and she couldn't do that if she was dead.

When she tried to stretch herself awake, she found that her body ached all over. She wondered how long she had been asleep. It didn't matter, she knew Delphine would be furious either way. Not that she cared, just as she knew that Delphine wouldn't care for her excuses. Still, she had better get up and get her life back on track. A bath would be a good start. Not only would it soothe her aching muscles, but it would wash away the grime that built up after however long she was asleep.

The cold floor on her bare feet did nothing to invigorate her still groggy mind and body. She heard Lydia's soft snoring as she crept by her room. Good, she thought. She was certain Lydia would insist that she go back to bed if she were awake. She noiselessly made her way to the bathroom and opened the door. Anxious to get her sweaty chemise off, she pulled it off of her and let it drop to the floor. As she was undoing her smalls, she realized that the room was softly illuminated by candlelight. When they fell to the floor, she looked up and saw that someone was already using the bathtub.

"Farkas?"

"Aurelia? You're awake!"

Farkas joyfully stood up to greet her, but before he could step out, it occurred to both of them that they were naked. Their blushing faces mirror images of each other, Farkas sat back down, and Aurelia bent down to pick up her chemise. The image of Farkas standing naked before her burned into her mind and slowly stirred her body to a boil. Another fragment of her memory, one in which she started something with Farkas that she never got to finish, came back to her.

She released the fingers that had been clutching her chemise and stood up. Farkas was averting his gaze, but Aurelia stared at him shamelessly, eyes roaming his body. Every inch of his fair skin dappled in dark hair enticed her and pulled her towards him. The floor boards creaked when she took a step closer, forcing Farkas to look back up. Though Aurelia's body was magnificent, it was her face that he couldn't keep his eyes from. Her lips were slightly parted, her eyes were burning with desire as they flitted across his body. Every inch of skin on his body that her gaze touched singed and reignited his desire for her.

Aurelia sat down on the edge of the tub and her eyes swept to the lower region of his body that had been hidden from her for far too long. As her gaze lingered, another wave of heat to swept through her body. She turned her attention back to his face and penetrated him with a gaze so full of want that it almost paralyzed him.

"Are you sure we should be doing this? You're still recovering." Farkas said, trying to keep his own lust from showing in his voice.

"Exactly, my body hurts, and I want you to make it feel good. But if you don't want… erm!"

His mouth smashed hungrily against hers before she could finish her sentence. She wove her fingers through his hair and pulled him deeper into their kiss as if she adamantly refused to let him go. No, she wouldn't let this opportunity escape her again, not even if Lydia walked through the door. Right now, he was the only thing in her world.

She planted a trail of noisy kisses across his cheek to his neck. The hand that wasn't entwined in his hair caressed his stubbly cheek. Her hand was just as curious as her eyes as they meandered down his body, feeling every curve of his muscles and every plane of his skin. Her senses were filled with nothing but him. His heavy breathing built up to a sharp gasp when her hand found his growing erection. Each stroke sent more hot blood to it. The waves of pleasure that she sent through him almost made him forget that she was still recovering from her injuries. He should be the one doing all the work.

"You must be cold." His voice shuddered "You should get in."

Aurelia detangled her lips from his earlobe and flashed him a smile that gave him a joy that transcended the physical. He really did love her. She slipped in and pressed her body against his, the warm water soothing her and his bare skin against hers exciting her. Farkas wrapped his arms around her and pressed his face into her neck, inhaling her scent and tickling her with his beard and kisses. The sensations against her body forced heady moans to escape from her lips, a sound that Farkas reveled in.

He longed to explore more of her body. He took his time sliding his hand down her back, enjoying the feel of her smooth skin, until it reached her rear. He gave it a generous squeeze before giving her a gentle but needy push up. Aurelia, taking the hint, moved her body up so his mouth could travel lower. A sharp gasp erupted from her lips when his mouth found her nipple. Farkas's lips twitched briefly into a smile at this before indulging himself. His hands wanted to enjoy her body too. The hand that was on her rear slipped between her legs and his finger prodded her opening. His other hand found her other breast. She said she wanted him to make her body feel good and he intended not to disappoint. With a thumb on one nipple, a tongue flicking the other, and a thick finger going deeper and deeper into her with every thrust, her body was sent into a tumultuous frenzy. Her ecstatic screams would have woken all of Whiterun if she hadn't suppressed them. She let the cacophony of sensations take her higher and higher.

Farkas too, was enjoying being able to touch and taste so much of her. Her slick insides were growing increasingly tempting. But he could sense her pleasure climbing higher and he wasn't going to stop until she reached her peak. When he felt something burst inside her, and her juices ran down his finger, that's when he knew it was time. So he extracted his finger and ceased his rubbing and licking. Her parted lips expelled heavy breaths and her eyes were glazed over.

"Don't relax too much, I'm not done with you yet."

His words seemed to bring her back to the present. "Good." She said with a smile.

She positioned herself just above his erection and plunged herself onto him. They both let out a satisfied sigh as he filled her up. She placed her hands on his shoulders and he placed his hands on her hips. Then he began moving, each thrust of his hips to send forth wave after wave of ecstasy. He began slowly at first, but every movement propelled him faster, causing the sloshing water to splash noisily out of the bathtub. They filled each other up with more than just physical pleasure. While sex wasn't new for either of them, doing it with someone they loved added a new layer of bliss that had ruined casual sex for them forever.

When Farkas's breath started coming in short bursts, Aurelia knew his climax was coming soon. She arched her back and tilted her chin up in anticipation for his finish. Their moaning escalated into one long exhale as he expelled his orgasm into her. As he did, she too felt another ecstatic explosion inside her body. When their breathing finally slowed, their lips twisted into satisfied smiles. Aurelia collapsed onto him.

"So what are you doing in my bathtub at this hour?" the question finally occurred to her.

Farkas wrapped his arms around her and rested his cheek on the top of her head. "I came by so often that Lydia told me to just set up a bedroll on the floor. I wanted to be there when you woke up. As for why I'm taking a bath right now, I just couldn't sleep."

"How long have I been asleep?"

"I think about a week."

"A week?" Aurelia yawned "Yeah, Delphine is definitely going to kill me."

"Do I know Delphine?"

"It's a long story, I actually had an important errand to run before all this happened."

"Where did you need to go?"

"I need to see the Greybeards on High Hrothgar."

"Do you think I could come with you?"

"I guess. Lots of people climb the 7,000 steps, not sure if they'll let you in though, maybe if I tell them you're with me. And by the way," Aurelia's cheeks heated against his chest "from now on, everywhere I go, you're welcome to join me."

"Does this mean you're mine?"

Aurelia lifted her head and looked at him, though her grey-green eyes were obscured by heavy eyelids "Only if you're mine too."

"Then I'm yours."

Aurelia gave him a generous kiss before nuzzling back into his chest.

"Listen, we should probably talk about the succession of the Companions. I think you'll be surprised when you learn who Kodlak named as his successor... Aurelia?"

But she had already fallen back asleep.

/

When Aurelia's insomnia returned, she knew she had fully recovered. Though she had been asleep for a week, everyone insisted that she take it easy for a few days before running off again. As far as Lydia or anyone else not in the Companions knew, Aurelia's mangled state when she was brought home was due to a werewolf attack, particularly the two that were spotted in Whiterun just days before. It wasn't technically a lie.

She glanced over at Farkas, who was lying next to her. He was on his side, with his bare back to her, so she couldn't tell if he was asleep or not. Still, she'd rather not disturb him. She slipped quietly out of bed and put her chemise back on. She left Farkas's room and found herself wandering towards Kodlak's room.

She had been informed that Kodlak had named her as his successor. She honestly didn't know how to feel about that. Of course, she was honored that Kodlak thought so highly of her, but she also wondered if she really deserved it. She was the newest member of the Companions, and the newest member of the Circle. In fact, her time so far in the Circle was spent as a violent lunatic.

A jolt of pain shot through her heart as she walked by the small table just outside Kodlak's room. She would never see him there again. As she opened the door and looked inside his bedroom, all thoughts of her new position faded to make way for thoughts of the man who had to die for her to have said position. Though she had spent little time with him in the months she had been in Skyrim, he had made a big impression on her. He had a wisdom and intelligence that would make most mages jealous. Though she never got a chance to spar with him, he carried himself with an air of strength and discipline that told her that he was a great warrior. But more than anything, it was his kindness that struck her; the fact that he made her feel welcome in a group of people that she was certain would shun her. He commanded respect so naturally that he was able to lead the Companions without dominating them.

She sat down on the bed. Her body began shaking with sobs. So this was grief, the emotion that her solitary nature had kept at bay her whole life.

"Are you okay?" Farkas's voice from the doorway startled her.

"I don't know."

Farkas sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulder "It won't always be like this. It hurts a little less every day."

"I just… I just wish I spent more time with him." She said as she wiped away tears "I thought spending less time together would make it hurt less, but I'm just filled with regret."

"Maybe you'll see him again in Sovngarde."

"I thought Sovngarde was just for Nords."

Farkas shrugged "It's just something I tell myself. I know how you feel. Doesn't matter if it's a few months or your entire life, you always wish you could have spent more time with someone you care about."

Aurelia looked up and saw that his eyes were glistening. She wrapped her arms around him. "Farkas, I'm so sorry. You're probably hurting far worse than I am. I should be the one comforting you."

But Farkas only hugged her back "Don't be sorry, I'm happy you cared about him, and I'm happy you met him."

"Me too."


End file.
